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Last weekend, I made a trip to Pattaya. On the way there, entertaining me was a commercial from a community station. It was about a fruit juice called Phet Nam Nueng (Grade-A Diamond).

Starting with a little information about the juice, the commercial continued with testimonies of many patrons, most of them old ladies.

"It's marvellous. This product is terrific. You guys have to believe me," said one lady without pointing out what |part of her body was helped by the product's nutritional benefits.

A man's voice broke in, saying that in case of depression, the fruit could help. Then another old lady piped in to give more support.

That's enough for the juice. On the way back, I learned more about two coffee brands - Kobori and Fa Sai - not from a commercial, but rather two deejays on an FM station.

While Kobori was recommended for those who want to reduce their sugar level, one deejay said it must be taken twice a day and that in a month: "Your doctor will be surprised where the sugar in your body went."

Fa Sai is a recipe for people who want to lose weight. The deejays said the coffee would triple your food-burning capacity and that over time, fat in your thighs and upper arms would disappear.

As I had enough information on the coffees, I tuned the radio to a community station and waited for a commercial break. I was not disappointed. It was really entertaining. It was a spot for a pesticide recommended for farmers who want to get rid of the worms on their vegetables before harvesting them for market.

The pesticide was also said to be safe, leaving nothing on the plants. As such, it could be sprayed on only a day before cutting.

"Vegetable plantations contain risks, if you don't use ..."

It sounded so convincing that I thought that if I were a farmer, I would have rushed to a nearby store and bought a bottle of the stuff for my fields.

Given so many radio channels and the even larger number of products and commercials, I cannot expect low-budget agencies like the Consumer Protection Board or the Food and Drug Administration to run tests to check whether these commercials are true even if they might find the commercials as fun to listen to as I did.