preMEDitated » philippines

Cory: Ikon of Democracy

admin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:17:13 +0000

My condolence goes to everyone whose life was touched by the life of Corazon Cojuanco Aquino.

Her life was the last and final pillar of the EDSA Revolution. Ninoy’s death was the first. Cardinal Sin’s call was the second. She was the final piece in a construct of a swarm of humanity that effectively toppled a totalitarian regime and restored democracy.
Her death placed the country at a crossroads. Only time will tell if her funeral procession marked the last rattle of democracy in the country, or if it was another first cry of life.
She was also the last great Catholic in the country. All the priests and nuns in the country could not measure to the holiness that people now ascribe to her. And because she embodied the Catholic virtues in life, many Filipinos have canonized her in their hearts and now pray in her name.
Her death also placed Filipino Roman Catholicism at a crossroads. Only time will tell if it signaled the end of ubiquitous Catholic influence, or the resurgence of a Church whose members have largely ignored her dogmas and teachings.

Cory, Mother of Democracy, has left us to ourselves. We accept the inheritance she has have left us. May we not squander her last gift as we have done with her first…

Female doctors ‘to outnumber male’

admin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:26:00 +0000

By 2017, women would outnumber men in the medical field according to the BBC.
This does not come as a surprise to me considering that the current male to female ratio in my med school is about 1:3. I don’t know about the other schools in the country, but I’m guessing that we have the same figures. I have, however, heard that PGH artificially sets their ratio at 1:1.
Pretty soon women would occupy most of health care leadership. We might even have a female Health Secretary in the near future! If that means clinical duties would be led by the “gentler” sex, then I bet all medical students, interns, and residents whether male or female would breathe a collective sigh of relief.
NO MORE 24-HOUR DUTIES! YES TO HIGHER PAY!
Then the remaining male medical professionals would be such a rarity that health institutions would do everything to get a hold on them. Ahhh. It’s just the best of both worlds…

PS Not only would doctors of both sexes benefit from this, patients would also benefit from this. They would be treated with more empathy as this would soon become standard policy should females overrun the health sector…

Pacquiao Wins! Hatton Loses, duhh.

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 05:08:16 +0000

In what must be a bittersweet day for Pay Per View customers, Pacquiao knocks out Hatton during the second round of the anticipated Battle of East and West.
The quick fight caused many a subscriber to gulp as they remember the money they invested for an anticipated exciting fight. Their wails, however, were drowned out as the cheers of onlookers rumbled across the entire country, or at least in places where Pay Per View is available. Not surprisingly, these same onlookers grabbed their cell phones and excitedly spoiled the fun for everyone else who were unfortunate enough not to afford/be invited/unashamedly gate crash Pay Per View venues.
Nevertheless, the distress of Non Pay Per View viewers did not end with being spoiled of the fun of an unknown outcome. They had to endure minutes of advertisements just to watch the fight. They may have complained a little, but the thrill of seeing Manny the Champion is worth more than a few hours of redundant ads.
For in every Filipino mind whether rich, poor, or in between; the victory of Pacquiao is also the victory of the Filipino.

Kambal sa Uma a.k.a. Twin Rats

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:30:08 +0000

Twin Rats aka Kambal sa Uma

Notice the resemblance?
Look closer.
If you strain hard enough, you’d swear they’re twins. NOT!!

In an ambitious bid to increase its ratings, television network ABS-CBN has recently launched another high budget teleserye: Kambal sa Uma. Featuring rat-human mutants, Kambal sa Uma is an adaptation of a 1979 movie of the same title. One word of advice: Avoid it like the bubonic plague.

You don’t believe me?

Do you know the show is based on a stupid premise? A pregnant woman, who somehow got insanely interested in rats, gives birth to rat-human mutants. Wow. They expect us to believe that unhealthy obsession with rats can actually make rat genes combine with human genes.*

Still having faith in folk stories?

That’s good. You can follow their advise and stop bathing on Good Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, and on all days that fall on the calendar. Who knows, you might smell like your rat-human-mutant-idol soon.

Surely you’re not impressed with the acting?

The extras are horrible! They react too quickly. For example, some extras removed one of the rat-human-mutant’s clothes, thereby exposing her furry back. They showed disgust**, even before the dreaded exposure.

And did I mention the show was stupid?

Yes it is, but not as stupid as the logic of the show. I don’t think Filipinos would dare kill deformed children, even if they look like abominations of the human-rat-hybrid kind. Experience dictates that Filipinos are more enterprising. The show should have featured the kidnap of one of the rat-human-mutants and sold her to a freak show!

Do you know that stupidity is contagious, especially if seen on TV?

You don’t?!! Then I pity you. The show must have taken hold of your intellect. Btw, I saw a mild case of Kambal sa Uma-induced stupidity today. He’s not yet at your level but he was getting there. He just came to the Health Center where I was doing my immersion when he suddenly said:
Hala! Buhi lagi na siya?!
WHAT! She’s alive?!
Apparently, what he last saw was one of the young rat-human-mutants being thrown to sea to drown. (Did I mention that those extras should have earned money had they sold the mutant at a freak show instead of murdering her?) As a sign of respect to the old man, I kept silent but my head was going:
WHAT!? HAS THE SHOW POSSESSED YOU THIS EARLY? THAT SHOW IS ONLY 1 WEEK OLD. YOU HAVE SEEN SCREEN SHOTS OF THE MUTANT GROWN UP, RIGHT? WHY WERE YOU SHOCKED TO SEE HER ALIVE?!

Btw, perhaps I’ve made a hasty diagnosis of your mental capacity. You may have some hope left. Surely, the show mustn’t have possessed you too quickly. Let me test your IQ with one question. If you can’t answer this, then you’re hopeless. Keep watching the show. It’s already owned you…

Q: What does Uma in Kambal sa Uma mean?

WHAT?! YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING THE SHOW FOR A WEEK, AND YOU STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT ITS TITLE EVEN MEANS? THEN THAT JUST PROVES ME RIGHT. STUPID. JUST STUPID. KAMBAL SA UMA IS STUPID.

*I don’t care if it’s Filipino folklore. It’s still stupid.
**Oops, I think disgust is too heavy a word to describe what they were trying to portray. It does, however, describe the way I felt about their acting.

Jollibee Saleslady Blunder

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:29:04 +0000

I’m not saying that all Jollibee salesladies are slow in the mind. In fact, I admire how many of them balance studies with work. It’s just that I’ve come to encounter one slow saleslady earlier today.
At first I didn’t notice anything wrong with her. I ordered my recent favorite (Beefsteak 39er) and a new dessert item (Mango Caramel Ice Craze). She said the ice craze was unavailable. I was about to order another dessert when the manager came.
Now the manager looked familiar. I knew that I knew here before. I just couldn’t recall who she was. She knew me, and she calls me by my first name. I, however, couldn’t recall her name. The name posted on her name tag did not ring a bell. We even speak like old friends every time we see each other when I order. I pretend to know her, and wait hopefully that I might remember who she was. Unfortunately, the memory always eluded me.
So we were talking again, and the conversation shifted to higher education. She mentioned a name that sounded familiar. I recalled that the guy she mentioned was taking up Law, and was about to finish this semester. That gave me a clue. We must have went to the same high school.
Yet my jabs at recollection were interrupted by the annoying voice of the saleslady. She kept asking if I would order something else. I ignored her, and continued to speak to the manager. After the fourth same question if I would order something else, I was getting annoyed at her. I looked at her with the side of my eyes and muttered, “No.” She was dense. Apparently, she needed some discipline regarding interrupting her manager’s conversations. Just then the manager went off to see an issue with some of the other staff.
I was left alone with the saleslady. I decided to take advantage of this by asking her what the full name of her manager was. Her answer gave me another proof of her slowness. She told me the manager’s nickname, or the name plastered on the manager’s name tag. Then seeing the manager return, I cut the conversation loose and pretend to order another item.
Unfortunately, the not-so-smart-saleslady blurted, “Ma’am, unsa daw imong full name?”
Ma’am, he’s asking for your full name?
I froze. I gave the saleslady the slightest hint of the evil eye and imagined stabbing her in the arm with their complementary plastic fork. The manager sounded offended as she told me her real first name.
Then the memories flooded in my mind. I pretended to have always known who the manager was. I even mentioned her full name. I then made some lame remark on why I asked her full name.
Then I quickly made my exit, muttering about the mental capacity of some salesladies. Some salesladies are just too slow to be entrusted or trusted…

Pinoy MD Application (Update)

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:21:10 +0000

Alarmed by the out-migration of Filipino doctors, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Department of Health (DOH) offers the Pinoy MD scholarship for those aspiring to become doctors. Benefits of the scholarship include:

1. Tuition Fees
2. Miscellaneous/Laboratory Fees
3. Living Subsidy
4. Lodging Allowance
5. Daily Transportation Allowance
6. Book and Uniform Allowance

for a total of Php 65637.00 per semester (as of June 2008).

Interested applicants may inquire at the medical school of their choice. Participating medical schools and their corresponding slots for 2009 Pinoy MD scholars include:

1. Emilio Aguinaldo Educational Group: 9 slots
2. Our Lady of Fatima University: 5 slots
3. Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng Maynila: 9 slots
4. University of the Philippines Manila: 6 slots
5. Cagayan State University: 9 slots
6. West Visayas State University: 9 slots
7. University of St. La Salle (Region VI): 5 slots
8. Iloilo Doctors College of Medicine: 5 slots
9. Southwestern University: 10 slots
10. UP School of Health Sciences: 10 slots
11. Mindanao State University: 14 slots
12. Davao Medical School Foundation: 9 slots
Finally, more details regarding the Pinoy MD scholarship.

Contact details for the schools can be found here.

Btw, they are now accepting participants from all sectors. Priority, however, will still be given to:

1. Applicants who have a combined Gross Family
Income of Php 50,000/month or Php
600,000/annum or lower.
2. Applicants who are part of, or are children of
Barangay Health Workers, government
employees or Indigenous People (IP).

Big downside for this scholarship, however, is the 2-year-service obligation to the government for every year of the scholarship enjoyed. Better be prepared for this!

Additional details can be found in this online brochure.

Bad Day for Jollibee

Engr. Dr. — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:50:12 +0000

A few days ago I went to the city branch of Jollibee in Iligan.
Since I just came from the community, I went to the lavatory to have my hands washed. Unfortunately, there was no water. I went queuing with dirty hands, and decided to order something that didn’t involve finger foods like french fries.
Miss, pa order kog Chicken and Spaghetti ug one rice, I told the saleslady.
Miss, I want the Chicken and Spaghetti plus one cup of rice.
Unsay drinks, sir? she answered.
What drink would you want with that?
Coke, I told her.
Sorry, wala na mi Coke karon. Pineapple ug Iced Tea lang among available.
Sorry, we don’t have Coke. We only have pineapple juice and iced tea.
After a few seconds of trying to decide, I said. Kanang Pineapple lang.
Give me the pineapple juice.
Mag-add ra ba ug P12 ani, she said hesitantly.
You have to add P12 for that.
Ngano man? I aked her while my blood was heating up.
Why?
Dapat i-upsize man pag mag add ug pineaplle juice
You have to upsize your drink if you want to order pineapple juice., she said.
Now that statement almost made my blood boil. I answered her in a sarcastically polite voice.
So if I don’t order pineapple juice, I won’t be having any drinks? What happens to the money I’d paid for a regular sized Coke?
What kind of policy is this? You make us pay for something we’re not having, or you let us pay extra for something we should have gotten from the value of our payment.
Sorry, sir. Ipunch mangyod namo ang pineapple
I’m sorry, sir. We are required to have the pineapple juice purchase credited.
I took a good look at her. She looked tensed. She was jittery, and was obviously wishing she was in another place. I could easily pounce on her and, pummel her with arguments against their bureaucratic policy. I was about to call the manager on her, but she reminded me of someone who used to work as a phone technical support agent: me.
I used to sometimes bear the brunt of customer dissatisfaction. I was one of the many ears and mouthpieces of the company who had to face irate customers, whether with legitimate or non-legitimate concerns. People from America called me for help with their computers.
Some of them complained about the company. In such cases, I had to resist the urge to tell them that I’m only the disembodied voice of help. Yet I was tasked and paid to represent the company. I was part of the company, and that meant I had to own all its policies and faults.
The girl in Jollibee was clearly waiting for another backlash; but I changed my mind. I let her off the hook. It was not her fault that Jollibee Iligan lost its water supply. It was not her fault that the same branch lost its supply of Coke. She was merely there to accept orders from her superiors and from her customers. I knew exactly what she was feeling. I didn’t want her to be forced to defend something that she herself was annoyed at.
So I paid the extra cash, went to my table, and ate; because I was already very hungry. In the middle of my delicious meal, I forgave Jollibee Iligan: main branch for not supplying running water, and for lousy service and policies — that’s how
good their food is for me.

A Valentine Warning

Engr. Dr. — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:42:06 +0000

Even though the Philippines prides itself on its low HIV/AIDS prevalence, it is no guarantee that there would be no forthcoming epidemic. Even the Secretary of Health Francisco T. Duque III has mentioned that we are on the verge of a full-blown epidemic.
The Department of Health (DOH) has released the following data. From 20 cases a month for previous years, the number of new HIV positive cases has risen to 29 a month in 2007. The total HIV cases reported in the country since 1984 has reached to over 3,305; of which 793 developed full-blown AIDS. 310 of this number have already died.
The DOH also reports that transmission of the virus through heterosexual contact dropped from 193 cases in 2006 to 139 cases in 2007. Homosexual and bisexual transmission, however, have increased. Transmission through homosexual (81 cases in 2006 to 107 cases in 2007) and bisexual (26 cases in 2006 to 74 in 2007).
I wouldn’t go on lecturing about the evils of immorality or whatnot. I’m sure people already know whether their actions are good or not. I’m just posting this friendly Valentine reminder:

If legs cannot be closed or if pants must come off, then at least make every effort to be safe.

Remember that the reported HIV cases are only the tip of the iceberg. There is no regular HIV screening in the country, and most people wouldn’t even think of having themselves screened. The actual prevalence of HIV could be many times the reported number of 3,305.

Please save yourself from pain and don’t get infected.

Please save the doctors from the added burden of caring for more AIDS patients…

Source:
1. The Philippine Daily Inquirer

Illiterates

Engr. Dr. — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:18:13 +0000

I had thought adult illiterate Filipinos didn’t exist. I was, however, proved wrong. This incident happened around July last year.

While waiting to get my ATM card from a very long wait, I heard an interesting exchange.
Sunda lagi ang instruction, sir, the teller said in a tone that bordered on annoyance. Or maabtan ta ani ugma.
Follow the instructions, sir, or we’ll end up finishing this tomorrow.
Naa biya nay example dira.
The examples are there.
The teller returned the man’s application forms and went out to do some other business. The man meekly accepted the documents and signed whatever the teller marked.
ID number, na bay, I said as I noticed that he apparently forgot to read the instructions. Dili na sign-an.
Those blanks are for your ID number. You do not sign there.
He didn’t seem to understand what I was saying, but he did stop placing his signature on the other blanks. He asked his companion for help, but his companion was no better than he was. His companion could also not understand what the blanks were for.
I was shocked when I realized what the situation was. Those guys were functionally illiterate! Apparently, they could write rudimentary words like names or some words, but they could not read.
I told the man beside me to get his IDs and copy their numbers on the blanks provided. I had to point the numbers that he had to copy to the form.
Isulat dira COMELEC, I told him on the space provided for type of ID used.
Write the word COMELEC there.
He, however, could not do it. I kept pointing at the words “COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS” as I told him to write their acronym, COMELEC. After telling him several more times, he ended up writing what he thought were my words. He wrote the word “COMMILIC”.
I told him jot down the characters of his driver’s license. Then I told him to write “driver’s license” under the area where it said “type of ID used”.
He still couldn’t do it. Then I pointed the word “license” on his card, to which he meekly copied the characters to the blank spaces provided for him. He then turned over his forms to the annoyed teller.
Saving herself the effort of further scolding, the teller silently accepted the forms and approved them for processing.
From further observation, I surmised that the man and his companion were trying to cash out their checks. Unfortunately, they needed a bank account to have the money transferred there. And more unfortunately, they had to learn to read in order to open a bank account. And most unfortunately, the bank had to close before they could cash out the check.

I never met those men again, and I wonder what their lives must seem considering they didn’t know to read. There was also something suspicious about them. They were illiterate but had voters’ ids. How were they supposed to vote if they didn’t know how to read.
I still wonder about the plight of thousands or perhaps millions of Filipinos, who like them, don’t know how to read but are being used to elect officials to the government.

Community Floods

Engr. Dr. — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:23:49 +0000

Rain had been pelting in Iligan for several days before last Saturday night. I usually don’t care about the weather as long as I am safe inside the house and tucked in for the night. I just hide under my blanket and pillows if it’s too cold, or have my electric fan running all night if it’s too hot. That night, however, I sensed a strange nudging that reminded me about the families assigned to my care in the Tambacan community. I then made a quick prayer, “Lord, protect my families in the community. In Jesus’ name. Amen,” then quickly retreated to sleep.
I only learned later the next day that a tragedy had occurred while I slept. The light rains in Iligan had heavy counterparts in the mountains. Water from these mountains fed rivers and streams, which poured down the city. It was about 3am in the morning when they overflew; and flooded the towns of Bayug, Manuang, and Tambacan.
About 7,840 families were displaced totaling to some 38,674 persons in Northern Mindanao. Cagayan de Oro bore the brunt in terms of property damage and persons affected.
Yesterday, a classmate mentioned that most of the families left their houses during the flash flood. Some of them slept on the highways as the evacuation centers had not yet been opened. Some of these families were also expecting aid from the ones who regularly went to them for “survey”*. A visit to the Barangay Captain** made the situation bleaker, he mentioned that our community was the hardest hit. So it was no wonder that I was prepared for the worst when I stepped inside the community.
Mud paved the dirt road to my families. Children scampered as they played. Well meaning folks told us to go the other way as the usual short cuts were too mushy for stepping. People stared at us as some of us ventured wearing clean, all-white apparel in an environment that stands as a stain reservoir. In short; except for the increased mud volume, the community was just as it was when we left it for the Christmas break. It seemed that the houses were already looking their normal selves, despite the fact that many of them had water reaching their residents’ shoulders 3 days ago.
I went to my families, and was relieved to find that their housing complex still stood strong. Despite the fact that their houses were just beside the river, they were among the few in the area were no water even managed to reach their doors.
They mentioned that the water level in the river rose to the height of the dyke, and was a few inches to their doors. Fortunately, the river stopped rising, and their houses were saved from flood damage.
The same, however, cannot be said for those living below the dyke level. A break*** in the dyke caused water to flow to what should have been protected areas.
As I returned to my classmate’s car, I thanked God for protecting my families. I also prayed that He continue to watch over the community as it seeks to rise from their recent ordeal. I could see that they are hardy enough to withstand future calamities. If only they were given the necessary boosts from the city and from landowners…

*That would be us, medical students.
** The barangay is the basic unit of the Philippine government. It is headed by the barangay captain.
***Residents blame the break on someone with the family name Lluch won’t allow the city government to build a dyke on the land. Either the city government is not offering enough compensation, or the landowner is asking for too much. Yet it is the people who suffer in such battles.

Sources:
1. Flashfloods hit Iligan City villages
2. Arroyo orders quick aid for flash flood victims in Mindanao
3. Heavy rains, flash floods mark start of New Year
4. Arroyo to visit flood victims in north Mindanao