Think before you click

"Think before you click."

This is GMA Network's famous tagline for their social networking responsibility campaign. Now, it can also be used for having a proper picture taking etiquette. Senseless ignorant "cam whores" should consciously and actively put this in mind everytime they want a photo taken of themselves in some pose or anything.

I did not see anything wrong with the "planking" idea. However, i do agree that in "planking", there's a "do it at your own risk" catchphrase. So it is necessary to not over-exaggerate any "planking" concepts. I did "plank" in some pictures. But I never done it atop a building or a construction site. The most dangerous I had is in Bohol, in the road surrounded by tall mahogany trees, the so-called "Mahogany Man Made Forest". Well, it is not that dangerous since there is not much vehicles passing by at that particular time. But then again, I did it "at my own risk." An aunt even had a exasperated reaction upon seeing the picture. If it was a busy road, I would have not done it.

Enough of being particularly defensive of my planking in Bohol! Hahaha.... It's time now to have a serious opinion on the "cam clicking" addiction of some people.

The "cam clicking" addiction of some people recently had gone literally crazy, "moret", "baliw". Sira-ulo. Brains suddenly malfunctioned.

Case 1: "Click" atop a whale shark (butanding)

I do not know what was in this girl's thoughts. Stepping atop a whale shark? Yes, it's more fun in the Philippines. Nothing wrong with having fun. But this is a bit overboard. Crazy indeed!

The whale shark is a living thing. It is not mere plywood or scrap floating in the sea.

I am amazed at how the guides "assisted" the girl to have the deed done. Bravo! The girl was not hurt! Gentleman sina manong!

I do not know what actions the authorities had undertaken to avoid having this incident happen again. Hmmm....Come to think of it...May ginawa ba sila? Did they do anything? The girl and the guides already asked for forgiveness. Good! Then what? Forgive and forget? The end? All that hype for nothing?

Case 2: "Click" on a cross

Well, this is a particularly insulting concept of having fun. Authorities should do something to avoid these acts from happening again. Holy week is not merely a yearly themed celebration for the country. It is our way of remembering the sufferings of Jesus Christ for mankind's salvation.

Be thankful and pay respect. Holy week festivities are not merely for photo opportunities. Look at the pictures. These are shameful acts showcasing disrespect and complete disregard of the very essence of Catholicism and Christianity - Jesus Christ. His sufferings are not absurd acts. No one has the right to create a mockery out of Him.

So it will be a very righteous act that you THINK before you CLICK on that camera of yours! Pictures you take can reflect who you are. Would you like to be treated like a living surfboard? Or would you like someone special to you be treated absurdly?

THINK before you CLICK .

Concerns about the Impeachment

Disclaimer: I am only a concerned citizen stating my opinion. I DO NOT claim expertise or whatsoever with what has been presented and heard in the impeachment trial. All is done – or shall I say written - in good faith.

Verdict: Acquittal.

This is the likely scenario the Filipino people will witness at the end of the impeachment trial. This is NOT a bold prediction. I am NOT also saying the SC CJ is in fact not guilty as charged. He MAY be guilty but the burden of proof is proving to be too much of a cudgel for the prosecution to carry.

Why do I think so?

So far, the prosecution has been only showing the public a mere fishing expedition. This is all because of ill-prepared articles of impeachment. If one has been listening to the news about the arguments presented and put some time analyzing things, it can be safely said that the trial is not just going to technicalities but rather exposing the lack of specificity of the charges. Too vague, too broad. Structure-wise in the choice of words, there is no clear pinpointed charge.

Article II charges SC CJ Corona of supposedly culpabable violation of the constitution and/or betrayal of public trust because of non disclosure of his SALN (Statement of assets, liabilities, and Net Worth) but this has been subject to debate on the first days it was presented. Why? Because as per the words, there is no clear specific citing that would tie up the CJ to those stated into the law as violation of the constitution – treason, graft and corruption, other high crimes. What is only a bit clear is that the CJ MAY have committed perjury. But can it be considered as a high crime so as to have it as an impeachable offense? The prosecution can tie up perjury to graft and corruption but can they show convincingly that sources of CJ’s money is from corruption? Did he use public funds? No solid proof has ever been presented. The constitution also offers no clear definition of betrayal of public trust. How about the ill gotten wealth? Maybe a good angle but this can no longer be pursued by the prosecution. Why? This is all because of an ill-prepared complaint showcasing too vague, too broad, disorganized, unstructured statements of charges. (So much so that this angle was seen as merely based on suspicion rather than on facts.)

The present administration SEEMS to be too much in a hurry of running after the former president and her so-called “allies”. Too bad for the public, the impeachment trial is SEEMINGLY being reduced to a practice court, wasting away the public’s time and money. I do have enough common sense to understand that the impeachment complaint lacks structure and organization as to its format and verification. IF CJ Corona is indeed guilty, he may likely get away because the prosecution has been disorganized - in the construction and verification of the complaint and so far, in the presentation of arguments and facts. What is clear to me is that the only significant good thing that will come out of this trial is the clarification of the law because of the many legal memorandum being asked to be submitted. Others worth mentioning: witnessing the senator-jurors’ impartiality and being introduced to the pretty and witty spokesperson for the defense Atty. Karen Jimeno. Not too bad afterall, isn’t it? To end, I am making it clear that I DO NOT claim to be an expert in law. I am not a lawyer. I am just a concerned citizen. I am NOT taking sides. It is not bad to search for the truth but would it be easier if it is done in an organized manner?

PPUR: New 7 Wonders of Nature, “Fun” in the Philippines

Perhaps, one of the best news that hit the country by storm is the official declaration of the Puerto Princesa Underground River into the list of the New7Wonders of Nature. Yes, it may be true that this can be the direct result of the presence of Filipinos in almost all imaginable locations around the world. But let us look into this in a more positive way. PPUR truly deserves to be included in the list. A simple and uncomplicated person can show its appreciation of its beauty and marvel at its charm. It also reflects the unity among all Filipinos, backing up undeniably one of their country’s prime wonders. This also stresses a point, that protecting and preserving nature’s beauty is not impossible. If it can be done in Palawan with the PPUR, why not in other places? This raises awareness that environmental protection paints a better image of a country and its people. Protecting the environment means paying respect to the things created for man by God.

If all of Philippines’ beauties of nature would be preserved and protected like the PPUR, we can truly say “It’s more fun in the Philippines!” Much hype was generated by this tourism slogan. It had gone viral almost immediately after it was launched. But amidst the spoof, we should not make fun of the country’s woes and problems showcasing it as being “fun” in the Philippines. Urinating in walls? Floods? Humour is good but when it is not necessarily needed in such a campaign intended to showcase the good side of the Philippines. Let us promote the good sides of the Philippines and help turn the bad ones into good. Let us do our share. I hope this campaign ad’s hype will not just be superficial. I hope it can be sustained and yield positive results. (Who knows? Even surpassing the feat of Wow Philippines?!) Good luck!

Side Comments Galore: SC CJ Corona impeached by the House and Midas’ “Soft” Golden Touch (Yes, I know…. this is still a quite overdue comment)

I am not a “balimbing” person or one that takes sides on issues of the country. I am also not an “expert” in law. But my common sense dictates that the impeachment complaint filed against SC Corona had been railroaded. The complaint was drafted in an apparently record time and more so the verification process. 188 congressmen signed in without really reading the complaint as per the nature and structuring of words. Well, I must admit my analogy can be an exaggeration of sorts. But isn’t it that the impeachment complaint approved and signed by 188 congressmen too fast? In a too short span of time? Can they read that many pages in that span of time? Well, this only shows the too tiring redundant cycle of politics in the Philippines – the past versus the present administration. There is nothing wrong with having the CJ answer for his wrongs if proven guilty. But isn’t it more righteous and more adhering to “daang matuwid” if it is done the proper way?

Okay now! I go to the lighter side of issues in the country or should I say “softer” side?! This is in reaction to the “microphone bluffing” incident of Supreme Court Spokesperson Midas Marquez in front of local and international media which had inadvertently labelled him as “gay”. Let us believe him. He already explained that it happened for he wanted to make the moment light and more at ease. On the other hand, there is nothing really wrong if he is indeed gay. So what’s wrong with that? I don’t see anything wrong with having a family man, lawyer and SC spokesperson being gay. I am not saying SC Spokesperson Marquez is gay nor I am a gay rights advocate. All I am saying that we should throw away discriminating and stereotyping attitude on our dealings with people. This is one of things that are hampering us from improving as a nation. Let us accept people for who they are. Work with them. Accept their ways as long as it is not in bad faith. On second thought, lawyers should be “hard” and real males! Ha! Ha! Seriously, discrimination and stereotyping is not helpful in the nation’s productivity in general.

Overdue Sentiment on the SC TRO

Well, i do not know what's bugging me lately. I am not even sure what is making me feel bothered. I am not in my usual self for sometime now. Maybe, there are some things in my life are not just what I wanted them to be. Okay, enough of this being too emotional. I am returning for a "record" hiatus in blogging. Most of the time, lately, I am not in the mood or of "sound mind" to write and react about things. It takes concentration and inspiration to write. Yes, even on topics concerning the country! Otherwise, what you write may seemingly be worthless, lifeless, and nonconstructive. Oh what the heck, just write! Well, the topic I am writing on right now is quite overdue. But as a Filipino citizen, I am compelled to write on what I think about it. So here goes…

Issue at Hand: SC decision on letting GMA leave the country

Probably, the most famous term enshrined into everyone’s mind during the last two months of the year 2011 is “constitutional crisis”. The term was the product of former president GMA’s (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) “botched” attempt to leave the country in a seemingly “urgent” fashion last November 15, 2011. This attempt to leave the country eventually created headlines of defiance almost immediately. (“Despite SC TRO, govt stops Arroyo from leaving PHL”) In an instant, the seemingly “benign” clash between two separate, co-equal branches of government – the legislative and the judiciary - rose to great heights.

I am not the one who you may say “intellectually inclined” with matters dealing with the law. But every Filipino with enough common sense to analyze things can conclude that the Supreme Court’s decision is indeed flawed. First, the SC issued the TRO beyond or near the end of office hours which gives the DOJ no or very little time to react.

Second, there are conditions that are needed to be met first for the TRO be effective. One of the conditions was not met - the appointment of a legal representative. (“ The petitioners shall appoint a legal representative common to both of them who will receive subpoena, orders and other legal processes on their behalf during their absence. The petitioners shall submit the name of the legal representative, also within five (5) days from notice hereof.”) On November 18, 2011, the SC by a vote of 7-6, found there was no sufficient compliance with the second condition of TRO. But the SC overruled its own set of conditions via a vote of 7-6 ruling that the TRO was not suspended pending compliance with the second condition.

Lastly, the dissenting opinions seemingly have more sense to the truth. GMA claims that she is ailed by a life threatening disease. Probably, the most compelling one is that of Justice Sereno. But I will only quote the honorable justice on some basic arguments. On her dissenting opinion, Sereno argued that “(GMA’s) own attachments belie the immediate threat to life she claims as one of. First, her own attending physician, Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, certified that petitioner should fully recover from her spine surgery in six to eight months, barring any complications.” In this sense, her condition will eventually get better (“fully” recover) and therefore is not life threatening. Also, in her itinerary, there are questionable countries of destination. As Justice Sereno pointed out: “If there is indeed some medical urgency and necessity for petitioner to travel abroad, these should logically be limited only to locations where she seeks medical advice from known experts in the field. Why then should there be other countries of destinations that are included in her travel authority but not specifically mentioned for purposes of medical consultations? What is the non-medical purpose of her visit to these other countries?” More surprisingly, GMA had intentions to participate in two conferences abroad during her medical tour. Will the conferences cure her of the said “life threatening” disease?

It is obvious in this case that GMA is in a hurry to leave the country for no apparent or clear reason – even her condition being life threatening is not clear enough! Her seemingly “staged act” to leave the country in a “dramatic” entrance to the airport does not have a convincing “telenovela” effect to win the sympathy of the Filipino people. I am not saying that she is guilty of the charges against her. But why leave the country in such a hurry? Face your charges. If you are not guilty of these charges, prove them in court. Be brave as you are when you were leading the country even if you were haunted by issues of legitimacy.

Reminiscing the Dead: Todos los santos, All saints’, All souls’, Halloween (?), Undas

It’s this time of the year again. The eerie and scary feeling is in the air again. It’s All Saints’ Day, Araw ng mga Patay, or what is called in the provinces as Undas. Yes, undas. I sort of got accustomed to this term as it was the term used in San Isirdro, Nueva Ecija (my parents’ hometown). I do not even know how Araw ng mga Patay become Undas in tagalog term or some may say as “malalim” as they are not familiar with the term (or is it even tagalog?). How does Araw ng mga Patay become Undas? I have not thought of researching about it. Wait. Time to research! Google it! Haha! Seriously? Yes! Well, no exact reference for the origins of the word. The nearest was that it is a tradition inherited from Mexico in honoring the dead and it is supposed to be from an “Spanish word” meaning to honor (not tagalog after all!). Wait! November 2 is All Souls’ Day (Araw ng mga Kaluluwa). Then why do we honor our dead during November 1? Saints should be honored then. Even the Spanish term is obvious about that: Todos los Santos. And another thing, Halloween is not the same with All Saints’ Day. Halloween is an American tradition celebrated on October 31 not November 1. Halloween seems to be a commercial corruption of honoring the dead.

Whatever the case, Araw ng mga Patay (literal translation in English: Day of the Dead) is a national holiday in our country and it is commemorated every 1^st day of November to honor dead loved ones. It is the day of having the feeling again of being with the departed family members. Nowadays, it also serves one purpose – reunions – as relatives meet again after a while. I have nothing against the reunion aspect of November 1. It’s a form of family love and bonding. But others seem to equate this day with having a picnic. They light a candle for the dead and leave it there. Then, they get busy more with chika and food. Araw ng mga Patay is not about picnics. It is nice that you light a candle for the dead but please do say a prayer for their souls (do offer flowers too - even the simple gumamela will do). This day afterall is about honoring them. And what better way to do that? Come on! November 1 is not about playing with melted candle wax and creating a ball out of it. Give respect to the dead. That’s all what is asked for this Araw ng mga Patay.

Respect and pay tribute to the departed before they come haunting you! Happy All Saints’ Day! (Hey, visiting the dead does not have to haunted, scary, or sad; you are after all with your loved ones. They may have departed but they are family!)

Surviving Dengue and Beating the Odds

Hi. I missed you, my blog site. This has been the longest I have not visited and written an article in my site. Why? Either I am mostly not in the mood or sick! Yes, it has been almost two weeks that I have to deal with Dengue (more completely known as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever).

Even as a healthcare professional, I seem to be a bit mystified by this disease, sickness, evil thing, or whatever you term one may want to call it by. I mean, it has been in the news forever, revisiting the headlines for almost every rainy season. “Dengue cases on the rise”. “Dengue outbreak declared”. “Dengue claims a child’s life anew”. It is scary to hear it from the news. It is even scarier if you have to experience it personally. I think you seem to not really know about it until it hits you. This is what happened to me this October 2011.

It all started with simple fever (38.7 C at that!) one Wednesday night, accompanied by joint pains , constant throbbing headache, a bit of lower extremity myalgia (muscle weakness), and loss of appetite. I just took paracatemol as I dismissed as a case of “trangkaso”. But it seems more than that as I have to take two paracetamol and an “Alaxan” to somewhat ease out the freaking headache and for my body temperature go down. It took almost the entire day to perspire or “gisawan”. Well, with the fever gone, I was able to feel a bit comfortable. Lab results from that day revealed only a bacterial cause of infection and tests for Dengue NS1 were negative. (This was only an ER consultation.) However I felt that it is not yet over as the headache is still there (even if it’s not that painful anymore).

True enough, my body temperature rose again that evening. It went on and off until Saturday morning. That Saturday morning spelled the difference. I had sensation then to vomit. “Naduduwal lang ako.” But what eventually came out what was tinges of blood. Back to the hospital! The latest laboratory results look promising! Alas, too bad for me! My hematocrit is on the rise and platelet count is dropping. Impression: Dengue. So I have to be confined that day in Manila. Intravenous fluid was started with STAT order for fast drip of plain NSS. My platelet count needs to be rescued! Further laboratory work out reveals positive (+) NS 1 Ig G. So as prognosis favored Dengue, petechiae in the earlobes and dengue rash started to appear. Again, I had a fever again that evening. It was the last time I had a fever. However, more rashes started to appear in the lower extremities.

For three and a half days, my platelet count was monitored every morning and I was infused with 1 bottle of plain NSS and 5 bottles of D5 Lactated Ringer’s (D5LR). Input and output was constantly measured and monitored. I was discharged Tuesday evening. I was told to rest and continue increased intake of oral fluids. Well for two days, my body still feels weak. Recovery was well on its way Friday as I was able to regain more strength. And eventually, I was able to run and complete my first ever half marathon (21 km) on a Sunday. I have completely recovered! Talk about beating the odds! Life is a celebration! All thanks to the doctors and staff nurses of Hospital of Infant Jesus and my family who accompanied me, took care of me, and prayed for me throughout my ordeal. More importantly, I thank God for letting me survive and win against Dengue Grade/Stage II!

Because of what I have experienced, I tend to drink more fluids now (water and juices). Let’s say I am not an avid fan of fluids before. I only drink after eating. Also, “off” lotion is of more of a constant regimen now for me. I am now more wary of the place I go. I hate the female Aedes aegypti mosquito! As a reminder to all, I end my article with these reminders about the dreaded Aedes mosquito and of the Dengue it causes:

Aedes aegypti , the mosquito usually bites at dusk and dawn but may bite at any time during the day - especially indoors and in shady areas, it is low flying (so have your lower extremities protected also, apply insect repellant or wear long clothes – long sleeved, pajamas and the like- as applicable), they stated on clean stagnant water (cover all water containers).

On Dengue – on the first signs of off and on fever, consult a doctor immediately so as monitoring and follow up check up can be done. Do not wait until bleeding episodes appear before consulting a doctor. In any sickness, most of all pray and be optimistic always. (Who would have thought I will be able to complete my first 21 km of run after an ordeal with Dengue?! That is being optimistic about the odds of life!)

Wait! Come to think of it?! Why do Dengue outbreaks happen every year during the rainy season? Are there no long term solutions to this for cases can be lowered down significantly? Why does the health sector of the government (most especially the health leaders) seem to have heightened alert only during the rainy season? Would it be more ideal if we all in the health sector be involved in preventive measures all year long? Would it be more of good cause for all of us be involved in cleaning up surroundings all year long and not be dependent on seasonal clean up drives, fumigation and breeding places destruction campaign?  Constant  and responsible effort is the key isn’t it? Give it a thought.

Ciao! Life’s a blessing! Until the next blog article!