“We know there is a significant opportunity in the Philippines marketplace for Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew since nearly 100 percent of retail coffee sales come from instant coffee*,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and ceo, Starbucks Coffee Company.

A farmers’ representative in Congress called on President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to shun the government’s rice importation policy to stop the massive flooding of rice in the local market and government warehouses, and called for an investigation on dummy rice importers and their big-time financiers that make up the local rice cartel.

Greenpeace today challenged Bayer to stop contaminating the world�s rice supply with GMOs (genetically modified organisms), during a forum on rice genetics sponsored by the giant agrochemical company and hosted by IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) in Manila.