Halad sa Maayong Morning ug Tabang Patrol

Help raise funds for indigents' medicines and win
exciting prizes!

Maayong Morning and Tabang Patrol team up for a cause
at the "Halad sa Kapamilya" at the Plaza Independencia
on Sunday, November 6.

An activity of ABS-CBN and Radio Station DYAB 1512,
"Halad" is a public service project that includes a
medical-dental mission as well as seminars on
livelihood and skills enhancement.

To participate in the Maayong Morning-Tabang Patrol
fund drive, simply donate a minimal amount to get a
raffle ticket for a chance to win handsome prizes such
as cellcards, Southwall magazines and many more.

Hosted by Ahmed Cuizon and Tisha Ylaya, Maayong
Morning is a news and public affairs program that
airs Saturdays from 5:30 to 8:00 AM over DYAB 1512.

A Golden Dove Awardee as Best Public Service Radio
Program, Tabang Patrol airs daily from 12:30 to 2:30
PM over DYAB. It is hosted by veteran radioman Dave
Tumulak.

So, watch out for the Maayong Morning-Tabang Patrol
joint booth during the "Halad sa Kapamilya" at the
Plaza Independencia!.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

ATTENTION DYAB TABANG PATROL LISTENERS!!!

 

YOU CAN NOW SEND YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT , COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS TO  tabangpatrol@yahoo.com.ph

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If you help someone,the help is returned in two folds

Did you know that those who appear to be very strong in heart,are real weak and most susceptible?

 

Did you know that those who spend their time protecting others are the ones that really need someone to protect them?

 

Did you know the three most difficult things to say are I LOVE YOU , I"M SORRY , HELP ME

 

Did you know those who dress in red are more confident in themselves

 

Did you know that those who dress in yellow are those that enjoying their beauty

 

Did you know that those who dress in black, are those who want to be unnoticed and need your help and understanding

 

Did you know that when you help someone, the help is returned in two folds

 

Did you know that its easier to say what you feel in writing than saying it to someone in the face? But did you know that it has more value when you say it to their faces

 

Did you know that you can make your dreams come true,like falling in love, becomming rich, staying healthy, if you ask for it for faith, and if you really knew, you"d be surprised by what you could do.

 

" BUT DONT BELIEVE EVERYTHING I TELL YOU, UNTIL YOU TRY IT FOR YOURSELF, IF YOU KNEW SOMEONE THAT IS IN NEED OF SOMETHING THAT I MENTIONED, AND YOU KNOW YOU CAN HELP, YOU"LL SEE THAT IT WILL BE RETURNED IN TWO FOLDS".

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Call DYAB Absolutely FREE

DYAB AM is the only radio station in the Philippines which you can call from anywhere in the world absolutely free.  Thanks to DB Edwards' VOIP technology through iNTouch, you can call us from 4 a.m. to 12 midnight (Philippine time), Mondays to Fridays.  All you need is a headset.

 

You can greet your Kapamilyas in Cebu and the Visayas and Mindanao over the AM radio station of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. in Cebu Philippines .  You can also use our Internet Phone to air public service announcements for your families and friends in the Philippines.

 

Or you can tell us situationers/updates/comments about major news events in your place of work or urgent concerns of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).  Let DYAB AM serve as your bridge to government agencies which can help you or your loved ones, like the Dept. of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the Office of the President, local government units (LGUs) and private employment and placement agencies.

 

Bawat Pinoy Kapamilya.

 

Tawag Na!

SSS Notice

Medical check-up to be done by SSS doctors

Inquirer News Service

THIS is in reference to the letter OF Maximino Balabbo complaining about the purported SSS policy that requires pensioners to undergo medical checkup. (Inquirer, 9/01/05)

The letter asked who would shoulder the expenses for this annual medical checkup. Under the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners (Acop) program, the medical checkup will be administered by a doctor of the Social Security System (SSS). Pensioners will not spend anything on this.

The Acop program, which was started early last year, is part of the reforms intended to ensure that pensioners get the right benefits; it is also meant to enable SSS to recover the money erroneously sent to those who have died, remarried or recovered from their disabilities.

If a pensioner is unable to go to an SSS branch for checkup, he or she can request for a home visit by an SSS representative. A pensioner can also communicate with the SSS by responding to its letters, or by sending a certification that he or she is alive and eligible to receive pension. The certification may be issued by a regular SSS employee who has been working with the SSS for at least five years, or by a teller in the bank where he or she has an account, or even by the postman or barangay chair.

We wish to point out that SSS employees do not receive dividends from the fund as Balabbo alleged.

JOEL P. PALACIOS, assistant vice president, Media Affairs Department, Social Security System, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City

"Dengue Fever" CURE AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

HOW TO PREVENT AND CURE DENGUE FEVER

 

What is Dengue fever?

 

Dengue fever is an infectious disease transmitted by the bite of a female mosquito called Aedes Aegypti. Recent findings revealed that this type of mosquito thrives only in a clear water,plants and puddles of rain water.

 

This disease is marked by severe headache, eyes,muscles and joint pains,sore throat,catarrhal symptoms and sometimes skin eruptions. This disease comes on suddenly after an incubation period of from three to six days, then decreases somewhat,only to increase again on the fourth or fifth day at which time rashes may appear.

 

At the onset of the fever, it is similar to any normal fever,however , it does not go into a convulsive temperature. On the third day, the patient would already be feeling nauseatic. Vomiting, diarrhea, inflammation of the thighs, hardening of the stomach and even skin rashes also appear. 

 

WHAT TO DO DURING THE ONSET OF DENGUE FEVER  ?

 

At the onset of dengue fever, it is advisable to let the child eat apples. Apples are rich in PECTIN and when fermented turns into a special kind of alcohol compound believed to weaken the virus that causes dengue fever. The pectin in the apples will readily join the blood plasma and prevent hemorrhage.  Especially, it is very effective in eliminating toxins from the body and in cleansing the liver.

 

Peel off the skin, remove the core and the seeds so the apple can easily ferment.  Scrape with a spoon and mash it, when it starts to discolor, fermentation could occur right away so it is the time to feed the apple to the patient.  The best time to give the apple to the patient is at 6:00 in the evening when the body temperature is cooler.  However, you don't have to wait until nightfall if the fever has started in the morning.  Feed the patient as much apples as he can take.  The following day, the patient will defecate, urinate and then he will be very hungry.  Feed him with brown rice, sweet potatoes or white fish but still in a soft form.  And then, you can give again the apple but don't do it simultaneously.

 

WHAT TO GIVE DURING THE CHRONIC STAGE OF DENGUE FEVER?

 

During the chronic stage of dengue fever, there is already inflammation and bursting of blood vessels.  And possibly complications with the liver and in the intestines.

 

At this stage, it is best for the patient to take Calisaya liquid tonic or Calisaya tablet.  For children, one teaspoon three times a day or one tablet two times a day in an empty stomach or before meals.  For adults, one tablespoon or one tablet three times a day.  Calisaya has nothing to do with the cure of dengue fever but is effective in healing its complication like liver infections, hepatitis and blood infections.

 

The Apple tonic and Calisaya tonic or tablet should not be taken simultaneously to the patient.

 

However, if there are no complications, give the patient an apple tonic.  If not available, give the patient an apple fruit.  At this point it is advisable also to isolate the patient and put him in a room where it is cooler because the virus grow in hot temperature.  Remove the patient's clothes to make him comfortable and cooler.

 

WHAT ARE THE FOODS TO BE AVOIDED IF ONE HAS DENGUE FEVER?

 

There are certain foods to be avoided when one has dengue fever such as all red meat, crabs, shrimps, lobsters and all other crustaceans; peanuts, bcause oil cannot be easily eliminated from the body, fresh milk, pasteurized milk, cheese and other dairy products. Also, don't give the patient white bread.

 

It is not advisable for pregnant women to take Calisaya tonic and Calisaya tablet.

 

HOW DO YOU PREVENT DENGUE FEVER?

 

There is a saying that goes "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."  Eating apples everyday helps prevent dengue fever.  Another is drinking grape wine.

 

The best practical prevention of dengue fever is not to be bitten by a mosquito.  And we do this by eliminating their possible breeding grounds.

 

Cleanliness and sanitation is the key.  Make sure that the water you are drinking is free from contamination and your water storage containers are well covered.  Also check for possible stagnant waters in your vicinity.

 

Before sleeping, make use of readily available insect repellants like Zip or the traditional mosquito nets.  From time to time, fumigate your surroundings with cogon grass or any dried leaves available to drive mosquitoes away from your home.

 

P R E C A U T I O N A R Y  A D V I C E

 

This information is not intended to replace medical help in areas where a person feels medical attention given him has not resulted in adequate relief or cure.

 

Persons conversant with medical knowledge will be able to extract more meaning and usefulness from this information and therefore, find greater satisfaction in its various applications.

 

The reader is reminded that each person is a unique individual and what may work for one may not necessarily benefit another;  and if it does, there may be varying degrees of differences in time and effectivity.

 

If any portion of this information interest you, it is always wise to consult your attending physician or any other medical authority who is sympathetic and open-minded regarding alternative forms of healing.  Give him a copy of this information so he may evaluate it and decide how best to use it to supplement his treatment.  Under no circumstances should a person currently undergoing treatment by his physician drop his medications unless expressly instructed to do so by his doctor.

 

It is vital to follow suggestions with patience, determination, and hope.  Then help may come, but if despite all efforts to apply suggestions diligently and after seeking various medical opinions, healing does not come, one must go on seeking; and remember that perhaps there is a deeper purpose for the ailment.

 

"HEALING CAN BE MORE EFFECTIVE IF MAN'S PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL ASPECTS ARE CONSIDERED."

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

Juan Luna Avenue, Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines

Tel. Nos. 2312-685 to 696: Fax No. 2310658

Email: admin@ipi.com.ph

 

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Coco Oil

Human Face : Oil of life

Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Inquirer News Service

SEVERAL times I tried to fall in line to buy a cone of coconut milk ice cream sold from a "Mamang Sorbetero" [ice cream vendor] pushcart, but the line was, oh, so long, I gave up. But there were other coconut products that were just as inviting and interesting-lip balm, moisturizers, bath soap, non-dairy creamer, diesel additives, vinegar, all kinds of food. And of course, virgin coconut oil (VCO), which was the centerpiece of the 2005 National Coconut Week 4th National Coconut Festival held at SM Megamall last weekend.

A booth selling coconut milk extractors using the centrifugal method was giving a PowerPoint presentation with Harry Belafonte's popular song, "Coconut!" as background score.

Produced in different parts of the country, VCO came in various labels and packaging-ethnic, sophisticated, dignified, classy. But the integrity of the product should be the same.

There is a lot of work to be done in order to put (or put back) Philippine coconut products on the world's dining tables, medicine shelves, beauty bars and gas stations.

Well, as the Philippine Coconut Authority had announced, VCO exports are up 268 percent from the same period last year; and up 569 percent in export earnings compared to the first five months of last year. That is from the good news article by Christine Gaylican of the Inquirer's Business Section.

For themselves and for their country, coconut product entrepreneurs, discoverers, innovators, developers, promoters, users, supporters, scientists and those nuts about coconuts gathered last weekend at the trade fair and exhibit. It was their way of showing that they were pushing on and forward-never mind the political climate in this benighted nation.

I couldn't help thinking a naughty thought- these VCO producers should send their quarrelling solons a bottle each of crystal clear VCO to clear their clogged colons.

I was at the fair for the book launching of "The Truth About Coconut Oil: The Drugstore in a Bottle" (Anvil Publishing) by Dr. Conrado S. Dayrit, eminent pharmacologist-internist, cardiologist, author, professor and unrelenting medical researcher. He has helped restore to the coconut oil its stolen global glory and put it back in its rightful place in the realm of food and medicine. That was last Sunday's Inquirer Magazine cover story on Dayrit ("Rx for Life: Use your coconut") which I wrote. The nice coconut-y cover photo of the energetic, ruddy-cheeked 86-year-old Dayrit was by August dela Cruz.

There was not enough space in that article to discuss Dayrit's painstaking, groundbreaking work and discoveries about coconut oil because I had to focus on the amazing person. So now, more on the amazing oil.

The background of all these was the fact that saturated fats, coconut oil in particular, were being blamed as the cause of increased cholesterol levels that led to heart disease. This was the gist of the so-called Lipid Diet-Heart Theory propounded by the West. Dayrit now bashes that as "brainwashing." Attempts to prove that theory wrong were either ignored or suppressed because the American seed oil industry had everything to gain from the demise of coconut oil.

Coconut oil is now regaining its good name, thanks to Dayrit and his counterparts who have proven by scientific research that coconut oil, a saturated fat, is a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA)-not long-chain, like what is found in animal fats and other oils. "No oil in God's whole creation can compare with it in its numerous actions," Dayrit says with pride. We need no longer wonder why many Asians were using this wonder oil for generations until the badmouthing and blacklisting began.

But despite the strong lobbying by the US seed oil industry, some researchers managed to research on MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) which contain capric and lauric acids and succeeded in getting them accepted as nutritious food for infants and premature babies, convalescents, the elderly as well as athletes. The US Food and Drug Administration even classified them as safe.

Writes Dayrit: "S.A. Hashim, Andre Back, Vigen K. Babayan and their associates were the first to publish papers in the '60s and '70s, showing that the absorption, distribution and metabolism of (MCFA) differ radically from long-chain fatty acids. The MCFAs of coconut oil are rapidly absorbed, carried by the portal vein to the liver and then oxidized, thus producing energy very rapidly.

"John Kabara, professor of microbiology at Michigan State University, discovered that the lauric acid of coconut oil, particularly its monoglyceride, was the most potent antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal agent of all the various fatty acids from different fats and oils that he tested in his laboratory."

Dayrit did his own work. Dr. Bruce Fife (author of "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil") wrote: "Dr. Dayrit was the first to demonstrate, under controlled clinical conditions, that coconut oil could be of benefit to HIV-infected individuals. His landmark 1998 study established the fact that coconut oil alone could lower the viral load of HIV-infected patients and improve their overall health."

Dayrit's book is a treasure trove of scientific information (chemistry, statistics) as well as true-to-life testimonials.

"This book had to be written," Dayrit says, "to tell medical practitioners, nutritionists, and peoples of Asia in particular, the true story of coconut oil, its numerous health benefits and why it has been maligned all these years. And to be fair, the good and the bad of other fats and oils need to be told."

Get a copy. (Also available at the five-day book fair at World Trade Center near the Cultural Center of the Philippines.) You won't be sorry. And thank God for the gift of the glorious coconut.

Tabang Patrol Plugs

DYAB AM's heart and soul, Tabang Patrol, is appealing for more donations for the poorest among the poor in Cebu and neighboring areas who flock to the ABS-CBN Broadcast Complex in Jagobiao, Mandaue City every 12:30 to 2:30 in the afternoon.  You can call up our landlines (032) 5643203 and (032) 4221953.  Or email us at simply_dave2001@yahoo.com.

Another Textbook Scandal

Textbooks of mass idiotization now…

Inquirer News Service

THIS refers to the report that the Department of Education has inked a partnership with a certain soft drink company in the delivery of textbooks throughout the country. For the past two years, the private sector was tapped by the DepEd to prevent the "ghost deliveries" of books. It is part of an ongoing effort to reform the inefficient and corrupt practices in the department.

But why a soft drink company?

Just two months ago, the DepEd revitalized its school nutrition program by launching the Universal Medical and Dental Check-up in public schools. President Macapagal-Arroyo herself ordered the release of P30 billion for the school-feeding program.

How could the DepEd not see the irony of vowing to make children healthier and at the same time forging a deal with a company not known for making healthy drinks?

Imagine the Lung Center of the Philippines tapping a cigarette manufacturer to deliver wheelchairs for its patients. Or the Philippine Heart Center allowing a lechon seller to open a canteen in its building. That is how I appreciate the significance of a soft-drink maker delivering textbooks for our children.

The DepEd has always invoked globalization to justify changes in the school curriculum. It should also recognize the global trend of ridding schools of unhealthy food products. In the US states of Alabama, Arizona and Connecticut, junk foods are banned in schools. California governor and former bodybuilder champion Arnold Schwarzenegger wants school vending machines to sell only juice and cereals.

How can schools effectively teach our kids to avoid eating food with too much sugar content or to patronize healthy native drinks when the big trucks of a soft drink company are happily welcomed in school premises for distributing textbooks?

Educators have pointed out that students learn more from messages that are conveyed through actions and statements sanctioned by school personalities. If you have a soft-drink maker doing a good deed recognized by the school, students may not question the nutrition facts of its products. Students will only remember the company as a tireless champion of education, and not a profit-motivated company responsible for making the drink which cannot make children more healthy and intelligent.

Public schools need money. But we must choose the source of the resources to be used for improving the quality of education. Can't the DepEd be more discerning in choosing its donors?

If a soft drink company is tapped because it has a nationwide organization that can reach out to the grass roots, then why not ask the Church instead? Or the barangay and SK units?

We are a country with a predilection for textbook scandals. Before, we had the textbooks of mass idiotization. With a soft drink company delivering books, we are on our way to having textbooks of mass malnutrition.

—RAYMOND PALATINO, vice president, Anak ng Bayan (via e-mail)

Health Patriotism

Pinoy Kasi : Sun, wind, feet

Michael Tan opinion@inquirer.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

"THIS is ridiculous," my American friend declared, "it's colder in here than in the States."

She had flown in with visions of basking out in the sun in shorts and sandals, and instead was bundled up in a sweater and blazer as we made our rounds of conferences and symposia in hotels and meetings in hotels.

I've asked several hotel administrators why they set their thermostats so low and they say that guests from colder countries want it that way. But I've had quite a few friends from the States and Europe who complained that our hotels were much too cold. I've seen this myself, room thermostats set at 15 degrees!

And then there are our offices, both private and government, where the thermostats are also kept at Arctic levels. Here, some of my friends think it's our colonial mentality at work. Air-conditioning mimics the West, allowing us to bring out our suits and jackets and pretend we are in America.

I'm bringing this matter of freezing offices and hotels because with world oil prices spiraling, we're once again hearing government calls to conserve energy. But it's all reactive -- we worry only when oil prices go up, and then return to our old profligate ways soon as oil prices drop a bit.

Class discrimination

The energy conservation program is heavily flawed for two reasons. First, the conservation measures themselves are stopgap and are probably not going to result in major reductions in consumption. Second, we don't have a serious long-term plan for alternative energy sources so we can move away from this crippling dependency on oil.

Let's look at the stopgap measures, which are glaring in the way they discriminate in favor of the rich. Note how they are geared mainly to call on the poor and the middle class to cut down on consumption, while leaving the rich -- who are the heaviest consumers in the first place -- untouched. We are told to iron less and turn off the lights, but no one says anything about the air conditioning in hotels and offices.

Or look at the plans to create bike and pedestrian lanes. Don't get me wrong -- the proposal is an excellent one, and is long overdue -- but the poor and the middle class have been walking and biking and taking public transportation even without those lanes. If and when those lanes are constructed, I doubt that the rich are about to leave their cars at home and bike or walk.

I'd be more inclined to encourage people to use more of the light rail transits but people will not use them unless they live close to a station, or can use their cars and park near one of the stations. I have to commend the Shangri-La mall managers for opening their parking to the public as early as 6 a.m. The parking fee is steep but I use it because it spares me the ordeal of battling jeepney and bus drivers whose brains have been fried by lead and "shabu" ["crack"].

I know mid-level executives and university professors who regularly use the light rail and there are many more who will be willing to shift if the rides are made more convenient and safe and if you have secure park-and-ride facilities. But other than Shangri-La, I'm not sure there are light rail stations where you have secured parking.

Sun and wind

Let's get to long-term plans for alternative energy sources. Since Ferdinand Marcos' time, every president has talked about developing geothermal, solar, wind sources but we're moving too slowly on these cleaner alternatives while, ironically, moving quickly on coal, which is polluting.

There's been much publicity about mostly foreign-funded pilot projects like a "barangay" [village] in Nueva Vizcaya province where households are run on solar energy, or about wind farms in the northern region of Ilocos. But I read these press releases with envy -- if indeed these are viable, why aren't the technologies more widely promoted? My house uses solar panels for water heating and I've been very happy with the technology but Solarhart, the company that sold me the panels, has not been able to provide more than water heating, not even for a few light bulbs or a laptop. They say the technology isn't cost-effective yet.

I've checked the Internet and found suppliers in the States and in Australia but the kits are bulky -- and a bit expensive. Nevertheless, if a local company were to decide to import these panels, and if government could give tax breaks, I suspect there will be more people going solar, at least as a backup energy source. Even the water heating panels were on the high end. I was willing to spend the money only in the interest of environmental conservation.

I just feel we're not doing enough to make more options available. Last year, one of our government officials made a big fuss about using one of those hybrid cars, which allows switching between gasoline and electric power. Those cars have been available in the States and in Europe for several years now, but no one wants to distribute them here. Instead, we have all these suppliers pushing hard to get people to buy those gas-guzzling SUVs.

And what about biomass fuel alternatives to gasoline? Brazil has a good program converting sugar cane into ethanol, which is used by their public utility vehicles. I keep reading about similar "experiments" in the Philippines, but we can't seem to move into wide-scale application.

Healthy patriotism

In the long run, we need to develop a major shift in our culture around the use of energy. For starters, we need to question existing architectural norms that produce homes and offices with gargantuan energy demands in terms of air conditioning and artificial light. I'm amazed, for example, at how difficult it is to get hotels along Roxas Boulevard to provide function rooms with views of Manila Bay; instead, they put you in windowless dungeons that are dark -- and freezing.

We have to question the status attached to the use of cars, and the way men try to outdo each other to get the most environmentally destructive models. Conversely, we look down on the most efficient forms of energy conservation: our feet, whether for walking or converted into pedal power for bikes. Even the poor have picked up an aversion to walking: short distances require tricycles, so it's not surprising that tricycle-driving is probably now the No. 1 occupation for Filipino men. The motorized tricycles, incidentally, do contribute to pollution.

Energy conservation means glamorizing the alternatives: sun, wind, biomass fuels, as well as bikes and walking. Let's not get too preachy here. There are ways of promoting biking and walking as economical and healthy fun. Conserving energy makes sense, and really spells out a healthy patriotism.

Docs Exodus

A cure for looming crisis caused by doctors' migration

Inquirer News Service

OUR country's problem with regard to the dwindling number of doctors, with many of them going abroad to work as nurses, just follows the global trend that has been going on for the past 100 years and has seen over 200 million people of different nationalities leaving their homelands to find a decent life elsewhere (UN statistics).

It is depleting the ranks of the medical professionals because the government has neglected the welfare of health workers, not to mention the country's problems with a doddering economy, massive graft and corruption in government, endless politicking and unstable peace and order.

Time will come when only a very few, overworked practicing doctors will be left in the country to care for the health needs of the Filipino people. By then, it will be too late to find a solution to the problem.

Filipinos in the lower economic brackets, especially those in the rural areas, are already suffering from the lack of doctors, nurses and other health care workers. I understand, even the bigger medical centers in Metro Manila are now feeling the pinch.

In the United States, the suggested ideal population-doctor ratio for satisfactory and sustained medical care is 5,000 to 1. There are about 750,000 licensed US doctors but only about 600,000 of them are practicing doctors taking care of the 300 million people in the United States. (The rest are in research, the academe, the military, etc.)

In the Philippines, there are reportedly more than 100,000 licensed doctors, but about one-fourth of them are not in active practice. With a population of 85 million people, this means the people-doctor ratio in the country is 20,000 to 1.

With the migration of so many MD-RNs (1,000 yearly?), coupled with the retirement, disability, or death of the "senior" doctors, expect the gap to widen. Expect a worse scenario with the rapidly declining enrollments in Philippine medical schools and the increasing number of doctors enrolling in nursing schools (6,000 lately, as per DOH report).

The only viable solution to ensure that the Philippines will be able to maintain a decent health care service is to train graduate nurses, who are now in abundance, so that they deliver non-complicated, basic health care services that at present are being provided by family physicians, pediatricians, anesthesiologists (as anesthetist), internists and obstetricians, the same way it is being tried now in several American states.

For this, the nurses should take up an extra two years of postgraduate training. School expenses, including board and lodging, should be shouldered by the government. And yes, the Philippines should pay these nurses good salaries and give them privileges.

CONRAD G. JAVIER, M.D., president, The Broadway Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; former chief of staff, St. Michael Hospital (a University Hospital of Cleveland Health System, USA)

Letter to Santa

Youngblood : Sans magic

Ingrid Abigail M. Villafuerte
Inquirer News Service

DEAR Santa,

Do you remember that Christmas when you received an extra-long letter from me? It run through six pages of notebook paper, filled back-to-back. I had worked on that Christmas list for a year. I'm sure you remember it because I was probably the only kid crazy enough to spend a whole year writing to you.

Well, I found the letter again. Actually, Mama found it, laughed over it, showed it to Papa so that he could laugh over it, and then gave it to me after getting sick laughing over it. I was going to feel a little offended that they could laugh over a little girl's childish desires, but as I read it, I had to laugh myself.

After all, who in her right mind would want 101 colors of neon Pentel pen? I guess I would, after sitting with friends who always had more Pentel pens than I did. I also asked you for a ballpen that wrote in 200 colors because Mama and Papa always refused to buy me that fat, red ballpen that wrote in 30 colors. They just couldn't understand how cool it was to write one sentence in brown, light blue, yellow, lime green, pink and orange-red. Everyone was doing that, except me.

Maybe I felt that if I couldn't have the fat, red ballpen, the next best thing would be to have Fern Gully ballpens, Beauty and the Beast ballpens or Little Mermaid ballpens. Since none of the above could be found in the stores yet, I was sure to be the envy of everybody else because you would magically produce those ballpen sets especially for me, in addition to the no-sharpening pencils, erasers, jackets, key chains, autograph books and calendars that I also asked for.

I also asked you for 11 sets of jackstones because I was never really good at the game. Everyone else was beating me at jackstones, and I was even more hopeless at playing Chinese jackstones (which is why I also asked for six sets of Chinese jackstones). Maybe having 11 sets of jackstones and six sets of Chinese jackstones to practice on would solve the problem, I then thought.

I don't think it ever occurred to me that maybe I was spending too much time reading instead of playing jackstones. But I'm sure that thought crossed your mind when I asked for Baby-Sitters Club autographed photos, not to mention the long list of books that took up two pages. I'm surprised you didn't leave me a note and point me in the direction of the bookstore.

And what did you think of my even more difficult requests, like No. 28: "For Danjun to learn how to read," or No. 4: "High grades"?

Hey, but you have to give me some credit. At least I also asked for a whole box of SRA (No. 71) and a typewriter, not the electrical one, (No. 80), both of which would have helped me achieve request No. 34.

I read the rest of the list -- which was filled with more requests of no-sharpening pencils, a mini trash can, three tubes of liquid paper, a couple of Game-and-Watch toys that weren't even in the market, 1,000 colors of Crayola, and my own telephone with phone number 6455161 -- with much amusement, but I also felt strangely nostalgic.

You want to know what possessed me to write you that letter that took me one whole year? It was because I thought you were magic. I thought that it was the only way to explain how you could make all the kids in the world happy by giving them new toys, and how you could give out all those toys in one night. Magic. So with a wave of your hand or a snap of your fingers, I thought you could give me all of the 124 items on my list.

Now, 13 years later, I find myself wishing that I still believed you were a real magical being that could make everything all right. Because now, I would ask you for things like world peace, an end to world hunger, a stop to corruption. I would ask you to find a way for neighbors to look out for each other, a way to make families happy despite all their problems, a way for friendships to survive through generations, a way for love to last an entire lifetime.

But perhaps it would be wrong for me to ask all that of you, Santa. Because, no offense meant, you're not the right person to ask. I should be asking God instead.

And maybe, I should also be asking myself how I can make all that a reality, sans magic.

Ingrid Abigail M. Villafuerte, 22, graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University last March with a Bachelor of Arts degree, major in Communications.

Answers

Looking Back : Where to find answers

Ambeth Ocampo aocampo@ateneo.edu
Inquirer News Service

ALTHOUGH I grew up in a house with books and liked reading, my earliest experience of research was in college. I was fortunate to have the late Doreen Fernandez as my freshman English teacher and it was she who guided me through the thrill of research and the agony of writing my first term paper. In those dark days one had to type out papers and it was hell trying to maintain margins on the page and even more difficult to add footnotes into your work. A small mistake sometimes led to repeating the entire page.

Students today breeze through papers and multi-media presentations without realizing how easy life is with word processing, spell/grammar check, cut-and-paste and other functions that are second nature to computers. You can print in color, adjust margins, change typeface and font size with the flick of a finger. Yet when I read my students' papers these days, I realize that form has definitely changed while content is still something they have to grapple with. While it is easy to produce handsome printed or on-screen reports, the basic processes of research and writing remain very much a solitary exercise and haven't changed very much through the centuries.

When Doreen opened the topic of term papers and promised to show us "the joy of research," there was a polite but audible groan from her normally receptive students. We were taught to take notes on 3 x 5 index cards, how to copy and make out complete and correct bibliographic citations, how to use bibliographies, find guides, and make maximum use of library resources. One of her famous questions was, "In which play does Shakespeare use the word love the most often?" The lazy ones presumed that the correct answer was "Romeo and Juliet." Others, seeing how the question looked so easy, sensed a trap and would start scanning Shakespearean texts and try vainly to count "love" before the deadline.

I wouldn't be surprised if some people had a nervous breakdown trying to find the answer to this question, but the solution was simple: just open the "Concordance to Shakespeare" and you would find the answer quickly and simply. Most of our basic research has been done by others who lived and toiled before us. The challenge is in knowing where to find the answers.

A non-conformist even in my freshman year, I did a paper on Nora Aunor and went through years of "komiks" [comic books] and fan magazines to find an angle that was new. Then as now, I was drawn to the bizarre and I found out that Nora Aunor and her screen hubby Tirso Cruz III had a "child" in the form of a plastic, blonde-haired walking doll known as "Maria Leonora Theresa" that fans treated like a real person. During one film festival, this doll had its own float, and on certain days, she was displayed to fans in the Aunor home and she received clothes, jewelry and other gifts befitting a princess, the imaginary daughter of the King and Queen of Philippine cinema at the time. I didn't get a very high grade for this unusual paper, because my work was sloppy and I submitted it late. But this rather uninspired experience started me off on my lifelong affair with Filipiniana research.

I did a paper on Kapampangan folk tales and my undergraduate thesis was on "Food in Pampango Culture," which led me to a rediscovery of my father's language and cultural heritage. My research entailed not only library work but also a lot of field work whose result manifests itself in areas of my body that are in need of liposuction.

Another memorable research paper was on Filipino curse words. It entailed browsing through the Tagalog-Spanish vocabularies compiled by Spanish friars. It was fascinating to find proof that these "bad" words were in use long ago.

What I found amusing was that the anatomical terms listed in the vocabularies in Tagalog were not translated into Spanish, as were other words, but they were translated into Latin. Perhaps this was done to make the base word seem scientific or perhaps it was meant to censor what a Spanish-reading friar or Filipino could understand. The familiar four-letter words in Latin provided me with a better vocabulary and hours of fun.

For Philippine history, I had the most terrifying professor in the roster named Miss Helen Tubangui. She introduced me to the wonders of the 55-volume compilation of documents on Philippine history from 1498-1898 by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson which is known to scholars today simply as "Blair and Robertson." We were asked to look into the two-volume index and find a research paper under the letter of our surnames. There was definitely a lot under "O" but I was frustrated that there were no entries on Ogres, Orgies or Orgasm.

Miss Tubangui also introduced us to the volumes called "Reports of the Philippine Commission" and "Reports of the Governors-General of the Philippines" that covered the Spanish period. When I have a tight deadline and need a topic, these sources are on my first line of defense. They contain a lot of obscure data on Philippine history, engaging in themselves but when brought together can encourage fresh insight and a first-hand view of the Spanish or American past.

Why am I reminiscing? To give credit to these and other teachers in the hope that some of my present students will follow the path I have taken.

Black & White

The Long View : Action this weekend

Manuel L. Quezon III
Inquirer News Service

I'D like to give way to two calls for action in the coming days. The first comes from Citizens for TRUTH. This is a group of private citizens, none of whom have political ambitions but who are concerned with public apathy today. I share their point of view, as expressed in their manifesto.

* * *

Demand Transparency, take Responsibility, foster Unity, restore Trust and breed Hope!

Years ago, Manuel Quezon opted for a government run like hell by Filipinos; the reason was, however bad a Filipino government might be, we could always change it. We have been run like hell, but we have always found the means to redeem our nation.

Years ago, too, Ninoy Aquino declared that the Filipino is worth dying for; and his declaration inspired us to vow that he would never be alone in his view. He died for us; we lived so that his dying would not be in vain.

It is the ordinary Filipino—you and I—who are the ones being called on to answer that burning question: Is the Filipino indeed not only worth dying for, but capable of not settling for a government run like hell?

Once again we find our country and ourselves in a crisis—not just an economic or a political crisis, but a crisis of values—one that forces us to question what it is exactly we as a people believe in, what we as a nation stand for. Perhaps even what we as a race are willing to die for.

But no one needs to die if only we are willing to stand up for what we believe in: To stand up, most importantly, for the TRUTH, because the truth is the biggest victim of all that is happening around us today.

And with the demise of TRUTH comes the spread of apathy among the ordinary citizens, the same apathy that is the "quiet killer" of any democracy.

And so, today, we who count ourselves among the ordinary citizens of this country come together as Citizens for TRUTH, determined through concerted action to take this country back from a succession of leaders who have not been true to their sworn oaths; acknowledging at the same time that all of these could not have happened if we ourselves had been vigilant in the defense of our collective interest.

Let us make one thing clear: None of us aspire for political office. That is not our calling. But it is our calling as citizens to get involved in political action and to be true to that calling is what we intend to be.

We stand for TRUTH in government—we want a government that is true to its commitment and true to the social contract. Specifically, we:

Demand TRANSPARENCY. A government created by the power of the sovereign people cannot exercise that power by hiding the truth from the people.

Take RESPONSIBILITY—We must be responsible for our individual actions, for each other, for the success as well as the failure of our collective endeavor.

Seek to foster UNITY—United in love for country and in our commitment to each other …

Commit to restore TRUST—The culture of suspicion that misgovernment has bred over the years cannot endure.

Finally, as citizens, we pledge ourselves to breed HOPE. More than just honest, orderly and peaceful elections—a necessary element of democracy that has been too bastardized—we believe that the collective genius of our people will be unleashed, and their collective potential fulfilled, the moment a sense of HOPE for the future infects each and everyone of us.

The time has come for the ordinary Filipino—for you and me—to stand up and be REALLY counted.

If you share in our beliefs, JOIN US in a simple demonstration of our collective sentiments.

On Saturday, Aug. 20, at exactly six o'clock in the evening may we invite you to stop and take a few moments to light a candle to demonstrate that the ordinary Filipino—you and I—is ready to spread the light that will banish the darkness that envelops our nation.

"SINO NGA BA ANG BAYAN? DI BA TAYO—ikaw at ako?"

* * *

Next comes the Black & White Assembly, convened by: The Moral Majority; Bangon Pilipinas; Manindigan!; C4T—Citizens for Truth and Resignation, Impeachment or Ouster; CODE-NGO; National Peace Conference; LGCNet; Institute of Popular Democracy; AWARE; PhilDHRRA; Pagbabago@Pilipinas; C4CC—Citizens for Con Con; Phil CO Society; PASCRES; GZO Peace Institute. Their statement follows:

* * *

On Aug. 21, 2005, we commemorate the death of a true Filipino patriot—Ninoy Aquino, by launching the Black & White Movement—a broad coalition of middle forces who would like to stand for what is right in the current political crisis.

Ninoy's death inspired unity of a people at the verge of hopelessness and despair. It is best embodied in the battle cry: "Hindi ka nag-iisa." (You are not alone.)

Today, our nation once again cries out for unity. We have become, not just a nation divided, but a people fragmented.

We believe GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) cheated and we demand her RESIGNATION, IMPEACHMENT or OUSTER.

Recent surveys by the SWS and Pulse Asia show that the majority of our people share this belief. But we can't seem to agree on a post-GMA scenario that we will advocate.

It's time to make a unified stand, and consolidate our protest actions.

And we draw from the inspiration of Ninoy and ask you, "Muli tayong magka-isa."

If you share our belief, please join us in this Black & White Assembly, where you can participate in (a) building consensus on a common manifesto; and (b) planning concerted actions.

This will be held on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2005 at La Salle Greenhills, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cheating is a moral issue where there are no gray areas. There's only black and white.

Admission is free. Please pre-register by sending an e-mail to enteng@healourland.ph or by confirming with Jane Laviña or Edzel Mirafelix: Tel/Fax 426-5938; Cel 0918-9192548 (Jane); Cel 0917-8163223 (Edzel). Please bring family and friends. Needless to say, we encourage you to come in black & white attire.

Fear of Crime

Youngblood : Please don't harm me

Leslie E. Vicente
Inquirer News Service

DON'T harm me. Please. I only have a few pesos in my wallet. Please do not take away my mobile phone because I don't have enough money to buy a replacement. Yes, this is a laptop. But it is the company's property, not mine. I cannot afford to lose all the important files it contains and work for a few months without compensation.

Four months ago when I moved near your place, I immediately had this fear of ending up one day another victim of violence. Forgive me for entertaining this thought. But every morning when I pass in front of that wretched shanty, I see you staring at me. Your filthy shirt probably has not been washed for at least a month and your hair has grown thick with dirt and dust. When I go home late at night after working overtime, I see you loitering in the neighborhood.

Among those who usually hang out at the street corner, you must be the most destitute. You cannot even afford a bottle of beer. While others drown themselves in alcohol and laugh at stories that have been retold so many times, you just stand there silent. While others have some miserable shelter of their own, you are homeless. When I come home late, I see you lying half-asleep on the cold, rough concrete sidewalk, with your arms folded to keep yourself warm.

You must be 28 years old. Despite the lack of proper nourishment, you look like you are capable of working. What happened to you and to the rest of your group? Your eyes tell a dozen stories about poverty and your constant struggle to sustain a seemingly hopeless existence. And I am bothered by the choices you have to make to feed your empty stomach. I fear you. I fear them.

One Friday morning, my roommate who has the same work as mine came home shivering in fear. It was about 2:30 a.m. She told me a man had grabbed her bag and tried to pull it away. She screamed for help. Alarmed, the robber fled.

If all he wanted (or got) were money, then the damage would not be too much. But what if in the process, the victim got seriously hurt or even killed? The daily news constantly reminds us that we live in a world that is increasingly becoming dangerous.

You might not believe me, but my heart grieves when I see you suffer. I can see myself in your shoes. My heart bleeds because I know there is very little I can do to help you. A piece of bread and a few coins would not be enough to sustain you for a day. You cannot count on others to always give you alms. Most people's paychecks are not enough to provide for their own families.

You need a job that would make you self-reliant. Unfortunately, I am just a 22-year-old employee, so I cannot offer you one. In fact, I know a number of jobless college graduates who are seeking the same assistance. I honestly do not know how to help you but I think there are things you can do to help yourself.

Do you see that old man with a fish-ball stand over there? How about those kids who go from house to house collecting empty bottles? Do you notice the peddlers roving around in the intense heat just to sell their goods? I do not know how much they earn or whether they earn enough to be able to eat three times a day. But I admire their industry and their perseverance as they struggle to survive.

I do not know your life story. But whatever happened to you in the past, you cannot change it. This is the world we live in now, whether we like it or not. This is what things have become. This is what we have become.

To some extent, I fear those suspicious-looking people I ride with on a jeepney or in the Metro Rail Transit. I am wary of the driver when I take a taxi home late at night. My heart beats faster when I pass by people drinking on the sidewalk as I hurry to my place every time our area is closed to vehicles. I take note of the people around me whenever I go to crowded areas.

We live in an age when one can never be too cautious. Otherwise, we might find our wallets missing or our house emptied of valuables and appliances. We might be kidnapped or raped or even murdered. And it really upsets me to realize that the people who could do these things to us are our own people and that things like these happen in our homeland.

Yes, I fear you. And I fear them.

Nevertheless, you deserve my gratitude. Every day when I whine about how difficult my work is, you remind me how fortunate I am. You make me grateful for what I am and for what I have.

My faith is strengthened every time I say a prayer that I may arrive home safe and sound. My trust in Him is the only shield I have.

Although I try to convince myself that you have no intention of hurting people, I cannot get rid of this fear. Please, don't harm me.

And please do not look at me like that. I won't get your knapsack.

Leslie E. Vicente, 22, is a certified public accountant at the accounting firm of Joaquin Cunanan & Co. In college, she was the editor of White&Blue, the official student publication of Saint Louis University in Baguio City.

Inspiration

Can Filipinos do a Perlman?

Inquirer News Service

HAVE you ever read about the inspiring performance of Itzhak Perlman in 1995? Perlman is an Israeli musician widely recognized as one of the great violinists of the late 20th century. A pride of Juilliard School in New York City, he is a living inspiration to many physically handicapped people who dream of making their mark in the world of music. Perlman is an advocate for the rights of the disabled. He was stricken with polio at age 4.

The magic of any Perlman performance begins with the moving sight of a man on crutches and with braces on both legs, making difficult strides to reach his seat on stage. Those who have seen this sight describe it as touching and painful.

Of his many sterling performances, his Nov. 18, 1995 concert at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York City remains most unforgettable to his fans. As he started playing a piece in the middle of the concert, one of the strings on his violin broke. Time stood still for the audience after the string went off like gunfire. Just as it started to second-guess the man on stage, the audience was taken aback when Perlman closed his eyes and gave his conductor and the orchestra the cue to pick up where he had left off. With three stings on his violin, he defied the limitations of music and continued playing with conviction, passion and heart. Perlman didn't only pull it off; he also rendered the greatest performance of his life.

One could only imagine how the crowd stood in awe. It took a long moment of silence before the stunned audience could unleash ripples of applause. In concluding his performance, Perlman only had this to say: "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

I remembered this story just as my optimism about my country's future started to show some cracks. Today marks my 10th year in government and I can't help but ask whether I have served my country well enough. The question emerged out of the painful realization that many of our well-meaning efforts in the past have been eroded by the uninspiring developments in recent times.

But Perlman said it right. It is indeed the artist's task to find out how much music can still be made with what he or she has left. Similarly, as Filipinos it is our task to find out how much we can do to help our country get back on its feet. Many of us have given almost everything we've got to the country, but the country's continuing struggle shouldn't stop us from giving whatever we have left. Remember: give, not give up.

Of course, this is easier said than done. But if each and every Filipino thinks and acts like Perlman, we will not only pull this one off, we will also deserve the world's standing ovation.

RONALD A. RODRIGUEZ, Brittany Bay at La Posada, Sucat, Muntinlupa City

Doctors Are Out

Editorial : Plugging the drain

THE BRAIN drain in the country's medical profession has gone from bad to worse, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said last week. He noted that about 6,000 licensed doctors were enrolled in nursing schools, preparing for lucrative jobs abroad.

Duque said other professionals like accountants, engineers and lawyers have also been shifting to nursing. The exodus of nurses and doctors (many of whom have turned to nursing) may soon create a crisis in the country's health care system.

This phenomenon is only the latest development in the brain drain that began to sap the intellectual, professional and manpower talent of the country in the 1970s. In 2002, about 200,000 professionals, associate professionals and technicians left the Philippines for better-paying jobs abroad. Data for 2003 and 2004 are not yet available, but it would be safe to assume that each year a minimum of 100,000 professionals leave for greener pastures. That means that about 400,000 of the country's best and brightest have left in the past three years, depriving their own people of their talents and services.

The biggest incentive for seeking employment abroad is financial. For instance, nurses abroad get $3,000 to $4,000 a month. Compare that with the $150 to $250 that nurses get and the $300 to $800 that doctors earn in the Philippines. In addition, these health professionals enjoy greater opportunities for professional advancement in the developed countries.

Teachers are leaving the country in droves to work as housemaids abroad. The brightest teachers are in great demand because most of them double as governesses and tutors to their foreign employers' children. This has contributed to the deterioration of the educational system that has to make do with the mostly mediocre teachers who are left behind.

One can go down the line -- from scientists to engineers to educators and managers -- and one will come to the same conclusion: The brain drain is depriving the nation of a great deal of talent that could help push its social and economic development. And the irony is that this phenomenon is benefiting developed countries that should be helping poor countries like the Philippines instead.

What can be done to stop, or at least, to reduce the brain drain from the Philippines?

Ultimately, the answer would be to accelerate the economic development of the country so that corporations and other institutions would be able to pay salaries that can compare favorably with those paid by employers abroad. But given the present state of political turmoil and economic downturn, that is not likely to come in the near future.

In the case of doctors and nurses, it has been suggested that the government require them to render one year of service in the Philippines for each year that they spend in the university or college. Another suggestion is to give tax breaks to hospitals, especially those in the provinces where people have no easy access to health services.

Another option would be to have government and financial institutions provide starting capital for doctors and nurses, particularly in the provinces, for the establishment of hospitals and other medical facilities. This should help create a class of health professionals-entrepreneurs who would not only manage their own hospitals but also give employment to other people.

Professionals should be made to realize that they have a responsibility to pay back the country that provided them with a good education without which they would not be able to find lucrative jobs abroad. So, in the case of the health professionals, in particular, the government could charge expatriate doctors and nurses some form of registration fee, the proceeds of which could be used to improve the country's educational and research infrastructure.

Scientists, engineers and technologists could be induced to remain in the country if they were given higher salaries and more incentives and benefits, including opportunities for study and research that would make them grow professionally.

We can always appeal to the social conscience and patriotism of the professionals and ask them to help their countrymen first before they serve the people of other nations. The government could create a better working environment, one with less corruption and nepotism. But it would be best if, over the long term, the government could accelerate economic development, attract more foreign investment, and help set up companies and institutions that would pay Filipino professionals higher salaries and give them other benefits and privileges.

Impeachment

Sounding Board : Impeachment talk

Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, S.J.
Inquirer News Service

IMPEACHMENT is of British origin. Ironically, however, in the British system, neither the king nor the prime minister is subject to impeachment. The only way for the British to be rid of an unwanted monarch is by revolution or assassination. As for the prime minister, he or she is essentially a legislative creature who may at any time be replaced by parliament through a no-confidence vote. This means, the prime minister can be theoretically ousted for reasons as trivial as the quality of his sartorial preferences.

When the American founding fathers were formulating the Federal Constitution, they had no intention of setting up a monarch who could rule for life. But they did want to give him security of tenure. At the same time, however, the founders were aware that, human nature being what it is, it might become necessary to rid the presidential office of one who has been found unworthy of it. They were also aware that any president would have innumerable enemies who would only be too glad to oust him! What the founders did, therefore, was to make the president immune from suit, but at the same time removable in extreme cases, when the only way of protecting the public is by removing him. The method set up for this purpose was the impeachment process. This is what has been transplanted into the Philippine Constitution. The President is immune from suit while in office but removable by conviction on impeachment.

The object of the impeachment process is not to punish but only to remove a person from office. As Justice Storey put it in his commentary on the Constitution: impeachment is "a proceeding, purely of a political nature, [it] is not so much designed to punish an offender as to secure the state against gross political misdemeanors. It touches neither his person nor his property, but simply divests him of his political capacity." Thus, prosecution after impeachment does not constitute prohibited double jeopardy. It is therefore understandable why a sitting President will fight tooth and nail to stay in office.

Up until the year 2000, when President Joseph Estrada was impeached, Philippine experience showed impeachment to be an ineffective means for removing an unwanted President. In the three earlier instances where there was a move to impeach a Philippine president-first in 1949 against President Quirino and again in 1963 against President Macapagal and in 1986 against President Marcos-the move never went beyond the initiation stage because of failure to muster the required number of votes in the House. But the 1987 Constitution reaffirmed the nation's faith in the impeachment process. At the time of its drafting, it had already been seen that the threat of impeachment was enough of a motivation for US President Richard Nixon to relinquish his office voluntarily.

By now the Filipino public has become familiar with the fact that impeachment, as structured in our Constitution, has two phases: the House of Representatives phase and the Senate phase. Neither process is characterized by pure rationality.

The power of the House to impeach, that is, its power to send accusations to trial by the Senate, is encumbered by procedural and substantive limitations. We are witnessing this now as congressmen quarrel over form and substance.

Substantively, the grounds can only be "treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust." Of these, "betrayal of public trust" is the most amorphous and can cover a multitude of sins. I would say that these substantive encumbrances are not insurmountable, not necessarily because I see supporting evidence but especially because we know that politicians as judges are not generally imbued with the judicial quality of cold neutrality.

As to correctives to House errors, the Supreme Court can correct procedural errors, as it did in the Davide case, but it must leave substantive issues for review by the Senate as the "sole judge" of impeachment cases.

No one will claim that the Senate as impeachment judge considers cold impartiality as a paramount value. Consider the herd behavior of the US senators in the Clinton case. Not a single Democrat voted "Guilty." Remember, too, how the Estrada impeachment never reached conclusion. Senators voted with their feet.

It is important to remember that, in an impeachment, what is involved is not just a legal decision but also a policy decision. It is for this reason that the responsibility for impeachment has been given not to a court of justice but to a political (read "policy-making") body. Thus, when the senators deliberate on what verdict to support, the question they answer is not only whether there is evidence to support a "Guilty" verdict, but also whether, under the circumstances, the preferred policy should be to remove the offending official who is on trial.

In other words, a verdict of "Not Guilty" does not necessarily mean "innocent." It can also mean guilty, but not guilty enough to support removal as the preferred policy option under the circumstances of the nation. When you look at it from this perspective, the debate about the quality of evidentiary proof-whether proof beyond reasonable doubt, or preponderance of evidence, or substantial evidence, or even clear and convincing evidence-is not of paramount importance. What is decisive is the gut feel of the individual senators.

It is again gut feel season. But first the impeachment charges against the President must test the gut feel of the members of the House before they can test the gut feel of senators.

Looking For Garci

Reveille : Where is Virgilio Garcillano?

Ramon J. Farolan
Inquirer News Service

MORE than a month ago, I asked the question: Where is Virgilio Garcillano? One would think-considering what the President is accused of doing during the May elections-that Garcillano's presence and testimony would help clear the air regarding the electoral tampering charges being made against the Palace. That is, if there was no basis for these charges. On the other hand, if the opposite is true, then this explains why Garcillano has not been heard from for such a long period of time.

There are all sorts of rumors as to his whereabouts. A few weeks ago, Garcillano was reported to be in the company of my good friend, Public Works Secretary Jun Ebdane, former PNP chief and a member of PMA Class 1970. Ebdane vehemently denied having any knowledge of Garcillano's whereabouts. Last week, Ebdane's name cropped up again in connection with another prominent personality. Michaelangelo Zuce who, a few days ago, made startling revelations before a Senate inquiry on jueteng, is reported to have come out in the open with his explosive testimony because he heard that Ebdane was looking for him. What is it about Secretary Ebdane that makes a man come out with confessions while seeking protection for himself because Ebdane is interested in him?

At any rate, wherever Garcillano may be-in Singapore, in London or right here at home-I hope that he remains in good health because he has much to share with us not only in terms of expertise but also in terms of understanding why the Commission on Elections should be replaced by a new set of officials.

Perhaps, Garcillano is busy writing his memoirs. I have two suggestions for the title of his literary endeavors. First would be: "Hello, Garci!-A review of favorite recordings of 2004." Another possibility would be: "How I Elected Presidents-A case study on applied mathematics in electoral tabulations."

Speaking of the Comelec, let me refresh our short memories once again. The Supreme Court, in its decision of Jan. 13, 2004, directed the Ombudsman to determine the criminal liability over an award by the Comelec of automated counting machines for the May, 2004 elections to the Mega Pacific Consortium. It also directed the Office of the Solicitor General to, in effect, recover the P849 million which was spent for these machines, which were never used. We continue to have faith in the Ombudsman and the Solicitor General and hope our people can be updated on the progress of their investigations on the matter.

What puzzles me is that, considering the gravity of the charges against the Comelec-part of the Supreme Court decision reads as follows: "Comelec awarded this billion-peso undertaking with inexplicable haste, without adequately checking and observing mandatory financial, technical and legal requirements"-there have been no moves to impeach the members of the Commission in the House of Representatives, which is the only way to get rid of members of a constitutional commission. And we talk our heads off about electoral reforms!

* * *

My column last week was on the subject "How to help our country." From the calls I got, the message struck home with a lot of people asking how to get hold of the booklet. Just as interesting as the contents of the book, is the life of its author, Alexander Ledesma Lacson.

Alex Lacson, now a senior partner at Malcolm Law in Legaspi Village, Makati City, is a graduate of the UP College of Law, Class of 1996. He is also a member of the Philippine Military Academy, Class of 1987. (Alex-once a member, always a member.) He didn't quite make it but in his senior year at the PMA, Alex was one of those considered for the position of Baron (first captain or brigade commander) of the corps of cadets. He was appointed one of eight company commanders. The appointment meant he ranked quite high in the estimation of his tactical officers.

Alex got into difficulties early in his senior year. This was compounded by family problems, which led to his leaving the Academy and finishing law at the University of the Philippines. But his love for the Academy has never waned and he has generously contributed to efforts aimed at making the PMA an institution our people can be proud of.

Regarding the PMA, Alex says: "It is important for the Academy to give its students some room for mistakes. For everyone needs to be given a second chance. For it is in the second chance that a person is allowed the opportunity to correct himself. It is therefore in the second chance that a person grows and learns and matures. It is in the second chance where a person learns wisdom, the concept of right and wrong. This is where the spirit is fortified. This is how character is best developed.

"On a personal note, I sometimes think of what would have become of me had PMA given me a second chance to correct my mistake. . . I think I would have become a good soldier, as good a soldier as I had dreamed for my country.

"PMA has been good to me. Somehow, it liberated me from the hellish environment of my home at that time. It taught me to dream of big dreams, it taught me how to be strong despite having a frail and asthmatic frame. But more important, it taught me the righteous path."

The armed forces may have lost a good man in Alex Lacson. But there remains hope for our country because of people like him. (For copies of his book, alacsonph@yahoo.com, or Tel. No. 840-0338 to 41.)

Looking For Louie

Posted by Sheila Coronel 
PCIJ

THE PCIJ has been tracking down Michaelangelo "Louie" Zuce since mid-June this year, when two sources, a Moro politician based in Mindanao and a former Commission on Elections (Comelec) employee in Manila, told us to look for a nephew of the controversial Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

The nephew, we were told, was "Garci's" connection to Malacañang, because he worked in the political office there. We were told to hunt down "Louie" because he was a mother lode of information on election fraud in Mindanao.

Louie, they said, was Garcillano's bagman and trusted operator. The Comelec commissioner, our sources said, sent his nephew to Mindanao to monitor fraud operations there, together with Renault Macarambon, a Mindanaoan lawyer detailed at Garcillano's office.

Interestingly, both Zuce and Macarambon are referred to in the May 25,2004 conversation between the commissioner and Juanito "Johnny" Icaro, Comelec Region 4 director. In that call, Garcillano says that Mrs. Arroyo was assured of victory in Lanao del Sur. " Mananalo siya talaga (she will really win)," said Garcillano. "Nandun si Louie, Macarambon eh. Pababantayan ko (Louie and Macarambon are there. I'll have them guard it)."

Special elections were held in seven towns in Lanao del Sur on May 22, and it was likely the results of this voting that the two Comelec officials were referring to. In a May 29 conversation with the President, Garcillano also said that he was expecting more votes for her to come from Lanao del Sur.

In the conversation with Icaro, Garcillano also talked about the count in Cotabato City, where the canvassing was delayed and eventually moved to Manila. Garcillano relayed the news that the President was losing in the count by about 40,000 votes. He subsequently had a similar conversation with the President, also on May 29, assuring her that her losing margin will not exceed 40,000.  " Pero hindi ho siguro sosobra ng 40, ma'am."

It would seem from these conversations that Icaro was playing a "special" role in the counting and was possibly part of the monitoring operations for the President. As Region 4 director, he had no business inquiring about the count in Mindanao.

According to Zuce, Icaro was with him and Garcillano in the January 2004 meeting between Mrs. Arroyo and Comelec field officials. At that meeting, Lilia Pineda, wife of the controversial Pampanga jueteng lord, allegedly gave Icaro an envelope containing smaller envelops of cash that were in turn distributed to the Comelec personnel.

Zuce's participation in election campaign was confirmed to us by a high-level campaign strategist of a top senator. Zuce, this source said, was first involved in the 2001 senatorial elections as a "shepherd."

Zuce's lawyer, 2001 senatorial candidate Liwayway Vinzons-Chato, said that she got to know Zuce, who acted as one of the Lakas shepherds in the first election during the Arroyo presidency. A "shepherd," in the language of campaign personnel, is one who coordinates the transport and other arrangements for candidates, making sure that they make it to rallies and whistlestops.

"His role in 2001 was tagasundo, he makes sure candidates show up, etc.," said the campaign strategist. "Usually, that is how a political operative begins. And then he moved on to be a political officer in 2004, meaning that he holds meetings with local politicians, coordinates hotel, transport, etc. All political operatives I called know him."

What this strategist didn't know is that after the campaign, Zuce, as he now claims, had also been recruited to be part of the post-election fraud operations in Mindanao. And in the pre-campaign period, he also helped organize meetings and dinners were payoffs were made to Comelec field officials in Mindanao. Zuce's rapid rise in the political operative ladder he owed to his uncle, whose position in the Comelec and dagdag bawas expertise made him an invaluable ally of candidates like Mrs. Arroyo.

In the "Hello Garci" tapes, there are two recorded conversations between the Comelec commissioner and his nephew. The first took place on May 28, 2004 when Garcillano asked Zuce and Cagayan de Oro businessman George Goking, who is also a Pagcor director, to come to his house for a meeting that had originally been set to take place at the Silahis (now the Grand Boulevard Hotel) on Roxas Boulevard. Garcillano said that it was not wise to meet in the hotel because there were a lot of pro-FPJ sympathizers in the area near the hotel. At that time, canvassing was taking place at the PICC complex off Roxas Boulevard.

Zuce, who confirmed to the Senate yesterday that he was among those recorded in the "Hello Garci" tapes, called his uncle again on June 16 to tell him that he and "George" (apparently Goking) were at the Harrison Plaza.  In both conversations, Zuce addressed Garcillano as "'cle," short for uncle.

In our search for Louie, we asked Malaya columnist and occasional PCIJ contributor Ellen Tordesillas to check with her Malacañang contacts. In late June, she called Political Affairs Undersecretary Ray Roquero and was told there was no such person in his office. (Zuce was employed in Roquero's office until last May.) Other people we asked couldn't give us any further leads.

When Zuce surfaced in a hurriedly called press conference on Monday morning, our search was over.

Chinese Invasion

Looking Back : The coming of the mandarins

Ambeth Ocampo aocampo@ateneo.edu
Inquirer News Service

IF you make a survey of Philippine history from ancient times to the present, you will notice that the late 19th century is covered by a lot of research and writing. We have thousands of years of history and yet the period from 1872, when martyr priests Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were executed, to 1896, which covers the execution of Jose Rizal and the beginnings of the Philippine Revolution, and then to 1898, when Emilio Aguinaldo was in a position to declare independence from Spain, takes up all the attention.

Roughly a period of 25 years becomes the fulcrum of our entire history. How come we know so little about pre-colonial life or even the four centuries of Spanish rule? Surely, there is much that we can learn from or at least enjoy as stories in this period.

The other era that is studied is the 20th century, particularly the lives and times of Filipino political leaders from Manuel Luis Quezon to Joseph Estrada (unless, of course, you wish Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were history as well). Here political history is the focus, thereby obscuring other things we can learn in terms of social, economic and cultural history. If only history is taught in its fullness and complexity, perhaps students would not dread the subject and be armed with perspective.

In school, I learned about the great Chinese revolt of 1603, one of many that would plague the Spaniards so much that we were told the Chinese were forced to stay in a ghetto called the Parian, outside the gates of Intramuros, where the present Post Office and Metropolitan Theater now stand, and that the cannons of the city were permanently aimed at and ready to fire on the Parian at the slightest sign of unrest.

There are so many accounts of the 1603 revolt from different angles, they make absorbing reading. We have the names of major participants from the Spanish Governor-General Pedro Bravo de Acuña to a Chinese resident named Eng Kang who was converted and baptized Baptista de Vera (the surname came from the governor-general at the time of his baptism). Eng Kang was said to have been one of the pirates left behind by Limahong who almost took over the Philippines. More interesting was that Eng Kang was allegedly a kept man, having "served the pirate for a lewd purpose." Now that I leave to the imagination.

The story actually begins with the arrival of three mandarins from China on May 23, 1603, sent by Emperor Wan Li to verify reports regarding a "mountain of gold" in Cavite. Perhaps the emperor should have inquired more discreetly because the high-profile visitors gave rise to rumors that China was planning to take over the Philippines. That would have been the case if the Cavite golden mountain did exist, but it was just another urban legend. The mandarins returned to China with the bad news that no gold or silver could be found in Cavite, and the courtiers who had brought this tale to the emperor's ear were executed in 1604.

From the Spanish eyewitness account of the visit, the mandarins were quite a spectacle traveling on sedan chairs carried on the shoulders of four men. They had archers as bodyguards and even had two men carrying a porcelain box suspended from their shoulders that allegedly contained their "chapas," the seal of document of their authority. Behind them traveled their secretary on horseback. The rest of the party was described as follows:

"Before them go in file six Sangleys with staves upon their shoulders, on the ends of which are white tablets with characters of gold, which is said to be [their] insignia. Six other Sangleys carry little banners of different colors, with characters written upon them in Chinese tongue, which are said to indicate the great authority and wide jurisdiction of said mandarins. One Sangley, who they say is a minister of justice, bears a piece of cane as thick as one's arm, lacquered in black. Among these goes a Sangley with two small kettledrums and four others with canfonias and other musical instruments which they use, all of them playing. Before all these people go six Sangleys, two of whom carry two iron chains, which are said to be put on those whom they are ordered to arrest; two others carry two cords tied to sticks upon their shoulders, which are said to be used to tie those whom they are ordered to flog; the other two, who are called upos, which is the same as executioners in España, bear two half-canes four fingers wide and a 'braza' long, with which they flog the delinquents, whom they wish they could kill with a few strokes. Between these go two Sangleys each one of whom cries in his own language, from time to time, with loud shouts; and it is said that they are calling out: 'Make way, the mandarins are coming,' and as soon as they come out of the house and until they return these cries are kept up..."

Today, motorists complain of high-handed security escorts of government minions. In the 17th century, people complained of the Chinese mandarins and their escorts.

This was but one irritant. And as one rumor led to another, the city's defenses were beefed up, the Chinese in Manila were maltreated and on Oct. 3, 1603, the feast of St. Francis, Tondo and Quiapo burned. Intramuros survived but the aftermath left thousands of Chinese dead.

Why did this happen? What lessons do we learn from it? Those are not in our textbooks.

Divine Intervention

Praying for the homeland

INQ7.net

I COMMEND the response of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the present political crisis in the Philippines. I just hope and pray that someday we can go back to our homeland when the political system is not so bad.

Leaving one's country is not an easy decision, but most of us opted to leave for greener pastures with the hope that we could help the economy there through our remittances.

I hope this wake-up call will make the present administration deliver the basic services to the poor.

KITS MERCADO, 200 - 133 Berkeley St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada (via e-mail)

12 Things

Reveille : How to help our country

Ramon J. Farolan
Inquirer News Service

THERE'S a booklet making the rounds in Metro Manila that every Filipino who loves his country should get hold of and read, and hopefully put the points it raises into practice, in order to help our nation. It doesn't dwell on a shift to a parliamentary form of government or a federal system, which our politicians are so fond of talking about as the answer to our problems, or as a way of providing a graceful exit for someone. It doesn't dwell on the need for an expanded value-added tax, which our financial geniuses have been proposing as the answer to our fiscal deficits.

"Twelve (12) Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country," by Alexander Ledesma Lacson, may be a "voice in the wilderness"; but as Fr. Ruben Tanseco, S.J. puts it, what Alex proposes are "very concrete, practical and doable" actions for us ordinary Filipinos. And the best part is that these 12 things don't need to be debated upon by our congressmen and senators, reviewed by a bicameral conference committee and finally signed by the President before they can be part of the laws of the land, which may or may not be complied with because our Supreme Court can "TRO" [issue a temporary restraining order on] the whole thing; and it may take time to resolve the issue, which then would still be the subject of a possible motion for reconsideration.

What is needed to get these 12 things moving are leaders in our homes, "barangay" [villages or neighborhood districts], educational institutions and civic organizations who will be the point men and women in the dissemination and implementation of these "twelve little things." Forget about our political leaders. They're too busy with Charter change or electoral reforms-the sort of activities that will ensure their continued stay in office or that of their children and relatives.

A simple enumeration of these "twelve little things" will not do justice to the work of Alex. You've got to read the whole text, but I shall try to compress a few lines for some of the items mentioned.

1. Follow traffic rules -- Why is that the most important? The answer is simple. Traffic rules are the simplest of our laws. If we learn to follow them, it will be the lowest form of national discipline that we can develop. Since it is totally without monetary cost, it should be easy for us to comply with, and therefore should provide a good start.

2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt. -- If a seller does not issue an official receipt when you buy a product, the seller may or may not remit the tax to the government. Without an O.R., there is no record of the sale transaction, and the tax that you paid may not be remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

3. Do not buy smuggled goods. Buy local, buy Filipino. -- It may not be good economics to buy 100 percent local products. What I suggest is for us to take a "50-50" buying attitude. This means that we must develop the attitude of using 50 percent of our budget for local products and the other 50 percent for imported choices.

4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively of our race and our country -- this is best addressed to the rich and the middle class in our country, who have contact with the outside world. It is they who talk to, dine or deal with foreigners either here or abroad. It is what they say and do which creates impressions about us among foreigners.

5. Respect your traffic officer, policeman, soldier and other public servants -- There is nothing like the power of respect. It makes a person proud. It makes one feel honorable. At the same time, courtesy to others is good manners. It is class and elegance and kindness. It is seeing the value and dignity in the other man. It is, in fact, a mark of a most profound education.

6. Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve. -- As Louis Armstrong says in his song: "I see trees of green, red roses, too, I see them bloom for me and you and I think to myself, what a wonderful world."

7. Support your church.

8. During elections, do your solemn duty. -- Honesty, more than a masteral or doctorate degree, is what gives credibility. And credibility is essential because it is a leader's link to the people. It is what makes the people look to one direction, follow a common vision, and perform a uniform act. In short, credibility is what makes people follow the leader.

9. Pay your employees well. -- No exercise is better for the human heart than to reach down and lift someone else up. This truly defines a successful life. For success is the sum, not of our earthly possessions, but of how many times we have shown love and kindness to others.

10. Pay your taxes. -- In 2003, P83 billion was collected from individual income taxes. But 91 percent of this amount came from salaried workers from the government and private sector, people who had no choice since their income taxes were withheld mandatorily. Only P7 billion of the P83 billion came from businessmen and professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants and architects, among others.

11. Adopt a scholar or adopt a poor child. -- You can make a difference in the future of our country by making a difference in the world of children.

12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and to love our country. -- Today's children will someday rule and lead this world. But whether they will be bad rulers or good leaders will depend largely on how we raise them today. Our future is in the hearts and minds of our children.

We need to be reminded every now and then of certain values in our society. Lacson's book serves this purpose and should be mandatory reading in our classrooms.