Think about it: Burgos family still searching one year after.
Think about it: Pinoys believe Lozada claims on NBN-ZTE deal, SWS says.
The PCIJ reports, Malacañang is No. 1 agency with excess exec hires – CSC. Meanwhile, the scuttlebutt on the upcoming round of cabinet musical chairs is that the expected appointment of Gen. Esperon to the Defense portfolio’s being opposed by the current holder of the portfolio (see Ellen Tordesillas).
In two entries, Malacañang 2010 hopes and Cha-cha thrust, counter-thrust, Mon Casiple points out that people haven’t really noticed the Palace trial balloon of reviving constitutional amendments proposals having been shot down by the Senate.
The Inquirer editorial today, Bitter medicine, points to a multimillion-dollar insurance scam perpetrated by a Philippine doctor.
Speaking of doctors, my column for today (with some help from The Philosophical Dictionary), An intrinsically disordered response, begins with a reference to The Cebu Posterior Surgery Scandal and Its National Implications, as the Warrior Lawyer puts it (and he makes a good point about the morbidly humorous aspect of the tragedy). My column also makes reference to the following, which Joseph Gonzales wrote in his Cebu Freeman column, and which I’m reproducing in full because the Philippine Star group’s online people don’t understand the concept of permanent links.
LOOKING ASKANCE
By Joseph Gonzales
Sunday, April 20, 2008
I guess everyone in Cebu must know by now what happened at the Vicente Sotto hospital, where a gay patient who had a spray can extracted from his rectum was subjected to ridicule, by jeering nurses and doctors, and reportedly, even at the hands of outsiders, by the video-taping of his ordeal without his knowledge, and by the uploading of the video into YouTube, where the whole webbed world could witness his suffering.
To a large extent, I’m happy with the public reaction — all the possible groups that could have weighed in on the issue have weighed in, with uniform condemnation of the incident. Spokespersons for the Philippine Medical Association, the Department of Health, the Philippine Nurses Association, the Professional Regulation Commission, and the Human Rights Commission have indicated that this behavior by the hospital staff is unacceptable.
Even the local Integrated Bar and the Office of the Ombudsman (this being a government hospital) and, surprise, surprise, the Archdiocese of Cebu, have taken a position criticizing this blatant disregard for the sensibilities of the patient.
To all these organizations, I must say commendations are in order, for standing up for what is right, speaking out, and most importantly, for their surprisingly ability to look above and beyond the gender issue.
It could have been so easy for all these organizations to have their reactions colored, even shaped, by heterosexual revulsion. After all, look at the circumstances surrounding the medical procedure. The reports have it that the complainant is gay, he hired a male prostitute, he paid money for sex, and had sex with the guy. After insulting the prostitute for being ill-endowed (again, another sensitive issue for male heterosexuals), the florist went to sleep and woke up with the spray can lodged in him.
Even the supposedly liberal press could be accused of bias, coloring the facts by characterizing the occasion as happening after a bout of “kinky anal sex,” in all probability eliciting an even more negative reaction from its readers. Anal sex is already anathema to this deeply religious nation. But “kinky anal sex”? It’s the same as saying a person is not just ugly, but butt-ugly (but worse).
(Possible discussion point for a journalism class: when does anal sex transform from non-kinky to kinky? Is there a gauge or a barometer that can be used to determine, “ooh, that’s bordering on kinky!”)
Yet, despite the homosexuality, the ‘kinkiness,’ the fact that the complainant is from an underprivileged community, despite all these, the essential abuse suffered by the patient was driven home, and understood by all those in positions of responsibility. Seemingly as one, the community is speaking and declaring that this behavior is not to be tolerated.
If there’s one good thing that comes out of this incident, it will be that future patients can be assured that their medical information will be better protected. As of now, there’re already so many serious breaches of this so-called right to privacy, where doctors not only swap stories with fellow doctors about the results of HIV tests, but in fact, even share it with non-professionals. It’s actually become normal for those with the means to avoid being tested in Cebu, since they know that any positive result will most certainly be broadcasted in the local community. With the scandal and the outcry now on-going, it can be hoped that the professionals will be more circumspect in their treatment of medical information.
It’s certainly a black eye for the profession. I remember when all these doctors and nurses were up in arms just because Teri Hatcher’s line in Desperate Housewives said something about making sure that her doctor wasn’t a graduate of “some med school in the Philippines.” Well, hello. No need for Teri Hatcher or the show to defend themselves, when these doctors and nurses have just so ably demonstrated how low they can sink. And we expect to promote medical tourism in this country?
Ultimately, we should be thankful that despite the humiliation involved, that patient still spoke out. To that patient, thank you for your courage. In my books, you qualify as a hero.
Two news items used:So were the doctors whooping it up when they extracted that spray can? Duque rues missed glory in rectal surgery video. How about this? Cebu priest: Real issue in video is gay sex. Oh, spare me. I’m not keen on how media handles medical emergencies, etc., in general; the reportage is usually lurid.
CAFFiend in Cebu thinks the patient got his just desserts (and the doctors, too); The Four-eyed Journal tackles the whole thing from a Human Rights perspective, as does smoke, who objects to the identities of the doctors being revealed. Bakla Ako, May Reklamo? reproduces Ang Ladlad’s statement. Journalism student SWEET SADNESS: The Sands Chronicles noticed the response was slow in coming.
Incidentally, The Ayson Chronicles points out:
The Philippine Daily Inquirer seems to be taking some technology lessons from George W. Bush. GW has been credited for inventing the term “the internets” (probably during one of his more confused moments) as a new term for what we know as the Internet. This in turn has morphed into the often used term “the interwebs”. In a similar fashion, the PDI appears to have coined the term “the YouTube” when refering to the popular video sharing site.
D’oh!
Overseas, a tart entry, Why people hate Antonin Scalia in The Economist’s Democracy in America blog, worth reproducing in full:
DURING an interview with “60 Minutes”, to be aired this Sunday, Antonin Scalia, a cantankerous Supreme Court justice, was asked if the Bush v Gore decision that decided the 2000 election was political. After calling the claim “nonsense”, Justice Scalia added, “Gee, I really don’t want to get in, get over it. It’s so old by now.” Ah, right, because we’re not feeling any repercussions from that decision still today.
Bingo!
A fascinating (as usual) examination of current American politics, from the perspective of past political contests: see History Unfolding:
Previous posts have focused on the parallels early in the civil war crisis, asking whether this election will be remembered as our 1856 (in which Compromiser/Artist James Buchanan defeated Transcendental/Gilded cusper John C. Fremont, largely because of fears that the election of the Republican Fremont would break up the Union) or that of 1860, which really kicked off the crisis. But 1932 offers some interesting parallels as well, both politically and with respect to the state of the country, and thus a brief review of that year is also in order.
The Democrats in 1932 faced a one-term incumbent whose popularity (then unmeasured by polls) must have sunk to about where George W. Bush’s is today, and who insisted, like Bush, that his policies were sound and that history would vindicate them. They were fortunate, as it turned out, to have three, not two, major candidates–and the rivalry between the top two, Alfred E. Smith, the former Governor of New York and 1928 standard bearer, and his successor Franklin Roosevelt, had something of the same emotional tenor as that between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Ten years older than FDR, Smith had been four times elected Governor of New York, and had gone down to a crushing defeat against Hoover, largely because of his Catholic religion, in 1928. In that same year he had hand-picked Roosevelt, whom many in New York politics had always seen as a dilettante and a lightweight, to run for Governor, only to see Roosevelt very narrowly elected while Smith, who never struck most Americans as Presidential timber, lost his own state. During the next four years Roosevelt made a good impression as governor and carefully cultivated Democratic leaders all over the country, all the while declining even to ask Smith’s advice on questions of policy or patronage. Smith however remained as determined to be the first Catholic President as Clinton is to be the first woman, and he felt just as entitled to the nod, feeling vindicated by the events of the last four years. The third candidate, Speaker of the House John Nance Garner from Texas, competed with Roosevelt for support in the South and West, while the two New Yorkers battled it out in the Northeast.
Had three candidates remained strong in this year’s race, the third one would now be able to decide the outcome. That is what happened at Chicago in 1932, when Garner, backed by William Randolph Hearst, switched to Roosevelt Democrats still needed a 2/3 majority for the nomination in 1932 (FDR had the rule changed, fortunately, four years later), and Roosevelt began on the first ballot with 666 votes, just 104 shy of the nomination, as Smith polled 202 and Garner 90. Garner switched on the fourth ballot in exchange for the Vice Presidency–a decision he bitterly regretted for the rest of his life and in 1960 urged Lyndon Johnson not to repeat. Smith was never reconciled to the party’s choice (and actually opposed Roosevelt in 1936), but that had little effect on the outcome.
Essentially the Democratic Party in 1932 had everything going for it.
In the blogosphere, I’m back to blogging over at Inquirer Current. My entry for today is on The Top 100 Public Intellectuals contest being held by Foreign Policy.
The Big Event was, of course, iBlog4 last Saturday (scroll of honor over at Philippines Election Journal). A comprehensive account is in The Journal of the Jester-in-Exile. Bloggers Inside a Bum’s Mind and realcutie: that’s me also summarized the proceedings: Zen liveblogging even, courtesy of On Site. Stories and reactions from bloggers abound, see Arbet.log:
There are certain things to do when attending blogger events. Basically, you should expand your network by meeting new bloggers. You listen to talks, take down notes. Bring calling cards, or anything that will leave a good impression on everyone (chicken costume, anyone?); a calling card will do. If there’s a chance to broadcast your URL (the open mic session), grab it.
I did none of those things at iBlog 4.
And from Last Leaf Designs, this gem:
During the talks, there was a moment of stupidity for me (someone’s supposed to be surprised right about now, I’ll be happy even if it’s just make-believe), that was before Pinoyblogero’s talk. After he was introduced, I was mildly surprised because I was expecting him to look like his avatar. LOL What kind of person in their right mind would actually think of something like that, right? I mean, seriously. Oh man, how stupider can I get?
And more stories and responses from Rebyu, Sweet Perceptions, 214, My corner, bloggin’ in Asia, cafemom and Random Snowflakes. And a critique of the after-party from sexynomad (I have to sympathize as I have a horror of party games).
Thanks to SWEET SADNESS: The Sands Chronicles for jotting down notes on my talk (see her notes on Luz Rimban‘s and Janette Toral‘s talks, too). There was photo coverage, see Adventures and Stories of Azrael in his Merryland and Shari Shari Shari and even Video clips, too!
It was nifty seeing familiar faces like Here’s to Life, and Touched by An Angel, and meeting bloggers like Life with Ria (better known to me as Alleba Politics), The Marocharim Experiment, The McVie Show, Season Seven, Pinoy Life At Large, Prudence M.D. and Cokskiblue for the first time.
And the calling cards of bloggers (see Vaes9) swiftly changed hands. Until recently, I never had calling cards so was loathe to collect them; also, even if I have them, I’m highly disorganized so they just pile up. But for the record, here are the cards that ended up in my shirt pocket, which means it was nifty meeting these bloggers, too: Magikel, PinoyTech.TV, subtleoasis, The D Spot, The Yogini from Manila.
And you may be interested in signing the Online Petition for the Passage of the Cheaper Medicines Act.
Hello MLQ. Thank you once again for making time to be part of iBlog. You are certainly an inspiration and your advocacy of getting more bloggers to participate by sharing political insights/perspective is slowly gaining ground. Cheers!
Ano kaya kong ang nangyari sa Cebu na Eskandalo sa hospital nangyari sa ibang Bansa, siguradong malaking Lawsuit ito..Pati yong hired Prosti, ma-ari ma charge nang Rape yon kong pinilit yong spray can “without consent†di ba sabi nakatulog yong pasyente? Di walang pahintulot nong isaksak yong spray can!!
At yong Medical Staff, at Hospital, siguradong iiyak yong Insurance babayad sa damages sa Biktima. Isang tambak na kaso. Violation of Privacy, Humiliation, Breach of Trust, Pain and Suffering. At sa manga makatarungan naman sisihin pa ang Biktima dahil Bakla, puwet ninyo, kasing bango!!
MLQ3:
It was so nice meeting you in iBlog4. Sorry for the rather “strange” meet-up: I have people issues. I look forward to meeting you again in the future.
Marck (of The Marocharim Experiment)
Sorry Manolo for depressing you last Thursday. I do appreciate you lending an attentive ear to my preaching. Thanks for a wonderful dinner and I hope that we get together soon. Promise, no more depressing stories next time.
marck, same here.
schumey, over naman!
This only means one thing!
There is a gap that sex shops need to fulfill in the Philippines! Many customers = money. Ka-ching! Must call Ann Summers to open a franchise and provide safe sex toys to be enjoyed by all!
Incidentally, this is why such cases are rare in Baguio (given that it’s probably the gay capital)…we have ashtrays and candles shaped as penises! Thank god for liberal Igorot attitudes.
sa nangyayari ngayon sa Cheap Medicine Bill hindi ba nagiging malabnaw na ang tunay na dahilan kung bakit ito ginawa. Napagbigyan ang pagtanggal ng Generics Only Provision para na rin sa hindi lumaki ang gulo sa di pagsang-ayon ng ilang mga doctor, pero ang pagtanggal ng drug price regulatory board na aasahan sana ng tao na makakatulong sa kanila mapababa ang gamot na bibilhin nila.
http://angsawariko.blogspot.com/2008/04/cheap-medicine-bill-update-generic-only.html
Patungkol naman sa issue ng Canister Scandal sa Cebu, sang ayon ako sa panukala nina Rep. Risa at Rep. Janet na mas higpitan ang batas patungkol sa medical malpractice ilan lang naman ang napapabalita at umalma sa mga kamalian ng ilang mga medical practitioner sa bansa, samantalang ang iba ay piping biktima.
http://angsawariko.blogspot.com/2008/04/congress-supports-cebu-canister-scandal.html
nash there have been sex shops opening but the moral majority keeps mobilizing to shut them down specially in the provinces.
@ Nash,
It is not the form or the shape. The story is that the poor fella was drunk when the canister got stuck.
Don’t drink and drive.
@jakcast
ay! dapat kasuhan rin yung mga pinagsasamantalahan ang lasing! that is simply bad manners, even bordering on rape. sex is best enjoyed when you are fully aware and consenting (ke gay sex pa or hetero or kinky sex)
and it is precisely the shape! while the anus is normally an emergency exit, a straight canister is dangerous and the muscles can contract to suck things in…kaya nga mga sex toys, the ends are broadened to eliminate this safety risk.
@mlq3
funny! “moral majority”!
they are in the ‘majority’ because they BREED so much! 😀
@Flowell,
Hindi ba ang dapat rin na gawin ay to strengthen the quality control of generic drugs?
It may be true that there are fake or impotent generics with diluted dosages and it is precisely this that should be plugged instead of forcing the continued use of branded drugs..
It would be interesting how this issue will finally be concluded.
‘As the 2010 end of her term nears, GMA has to make a decision shortly: whether to gamble on a new charter change initiative to prolong her stay in power or to conclude negotiations with a possible successor.’ – Mon Casiple
The senator-presidentiables and the congressmen-senatoriables will raise heaven and earth to prevent a charter change. Negotiations wih the possible successor is the more likely scenario.
these VSMMC doctors deserve more than just a slap on the wrist for what they did. i read from the online version of a cebu-based daily that the same hospital is, again, the subject of another complaint; a woman who gave birth last january 19 was asked to have sex with a staff in exchange for her child’s birth certificate. a previous case of 7 VSMMC doctors who were responsible for the death of woman whom they performed a caesarian operation. a quick google of VSMMC will produce a myriad of hits which include words like ‘scandal’, ‘negligence’, ‘controversy’ and ‘raps’. not exactly the kind of hospital where i will seek medical help from.
i have become affected by this scandal so much that i actually asked my doctor this morning where she graduated . buti na lang UST med school sya galing. had she said she was from cebu, i would have dashed out of her office with the needle still in my arm. sorry, but VSMMC has tarnished more than just their own reputation.
Ha, I see that CAFfiend is a Federalist like Manolo. 🙂
here’s another insult to injury:
In the Premiere of Desperate Housewives on 09/30/07 Teri Hatcher made a remark about Filipinos – doctors/nurses. She was talking to her doctor and then she said “Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? ‘Coz I
would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines.”
On the positive side, US and the world remain to import labor and prefer the Philippines at least in the healthcare field. What few people do in our country will not affect the reputation of the establish filipinos overseas.
What happen in Cebu is another wake up call to our medical professionals and the public. More job opportunity for our lawyers. I hope lawyers in our country will start scrutinizing illegal votes, financial transactions and more issues that will slowly repair our ailing economy in the future…
JFK said: it is not what your country can do for you, it is what you can do for your country.
my top 5 intellectuals:
anne applebaum
charles krauthammer (my write-in)
tom friedman
gen. david petraeus
christopher hitchens
MLQ3! I saw you at iBlog4. It was great to see but I was shy to approach and introduce myself. You once linked me in your post about Death Threats. Basta, it was long ago. 🙂
heya jeric. say hi next time!
mlq3,
I googled that “disco-” term after the r-word. What’s a better title equivalent: ass hole decoupling or anal embarassment?
Seems both apply to what’s happening in the country: the mighty and powerful f***ing the Filipino people high and dry.
Some of the things that were missed:
1. Uploaded videos of the surgery were only temporarily unavailable for some time at YouTube.
2. Who exactly told “Danilo” or “Jan-Jan,” “Hey, your tube is on YouTube?”
3. The prostitute’s penis size (or any penis for that matter) is definitely small relative to the enormity of the patient’s anal circumference & rectal vault.
4. Some viewers who expected “Alice” (whose name was heard in the video being called upon by the head surgeon) to be one of the culprits are mistaken because it was “Allis” the forceps (used to clamp the can with) that was being referred to in the video.
5. All the while the crowd is expecting the canister’s brand to be the more popular “Bench” one.
6. VSMMC, being a government teaching hospital, is “run” by residents-in-training supervised by consultants. Never did authorities mention the existence of the supervisors (or their non-existence at the scene) & the extent of their culpability in the fiasco. If only the consultants were present at the scene, professionalism & maturity will govern the whole situation avoiding such misbehavior.
7. A “surgical personality” may have been present among the surgeons-in-training at the time of the incident. Bravo to the surgeons’ bravado…nice job, nice job!
8. Rather than “Danilo” being the sole hero, could the one who “YouTubed the (body spray) tube in the (rectal) tube” be considered part-hero as the world wouldn’t be reminded that docs could be asses too?
9. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are not only confined to homosexuals. They should be screened for HIV infection (all the more the prostitute should be hunted down). The “non-gays” MSM (and they usually resent being called gays or bisexual) could potentially widen the spread of HIV because they also engage in heterosexual relationships.
10. Fr. Dacay failed to realize the bottom of it all.
It is very unfortunate that this thing happened. All my life, in RP and abroad, I have never heard or seen this kind of circus in the OR. There are varied kinds of objects, of different sizes and shapes, being extracted out of the patients orifices, up there and down there and even in the hallow viscous by minor or major operations. However, these are all done in a delicate manner and with all the ethical rules and of course regulations in mind by the operating team. Occasionally, you may observe seemingly rowdy behavior of medical team in the dressing rooms which is all part of camaraderie. But as soon as they enter the OR, the behavior changes instantly OR is like a hallowed place, it is a place respected by everyone, it is a place where lives are saved and rarely, lost. The surgeon is akin to a maestro of the orchestra, everyone follows his command. The operating team work in silence (except maybe a music piped in the OR), everything is done by the number, surgical instruments are passed without verbally asking for them, everyone knows how to anticipate the moves, the whole thing is done by the book.
In contrast to Malacanang where no one accepts the responsibility for what is going on in RP, captain of the ship doctrine is strictly enforced in the OR. However, there is one big similarity with Malacanang, as Justice De Castro and her cohorts in her ponencia, what happens in Malacanang stays in Malacanang, not even the Senate or the Pilipino electorate can change it. What happens in the OR stays in the OR.
And so, this is the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen in the OR. The book should be thrown to the members of the operating team after a thorough and unbiased investigation where the real culprits are determined, no ifs, no buts, no padrinos. Let us keep the medical profession as spotless as possible.
re: generic law
IMO, the best thing is to allow the physicians prescribe what in their professional opinion is the best medicine for their patient with a note allowing the pharmacies to substitute generic if available ( that is if the physician has enough experience with the efficacy of the available generics). This is the common practice abroad where all kinds of drugs are available.The choice of medicine should be left to the medical profession.Huwag na sanang makisawsaw ang mga lawyers, legislators,etc who does not know a thing about treating patients.
Drug regulatory commission is better than Malacanang control on drug prices( we all know what happens when Malacanang control something).
FDA should be more vigilant in approving and monitoring all kinds of drugs, generics or not.It is not enough that FDA approve the medicine, the more important part is its constant and strict enforcement of all the requirements for each drug.
what happened in cebu was just a symptom of a larger problem in our country with regards to the medical profession. i dont want to look like im bashing the medical profession because i believe its an honorable profession and majority of them live to their oath.
however, physicians are heavily influence by the pharmaceutical companies on their prescribing habits with total disregard for evidenced based medicine.. they wine and dine them at junkets desguised as continuing medical education seminars. when you have the physicians owning their own laboratories, imaging facilities and pharmacies, it raised a serious question of conflict and self serving interests.
Ahoy! I was able to meet you sir MLQ3 last iBlog4! Kami po yung nagpapicture pa sa inyo hehehe.. thanks for being such a nice person!
http://hiraya.co.nr
magdiwang, do you have statistics or actual associations with docs to support your assertions? I have never seen a an md who prescribed meds purely due to sales talks by drug reps. They prescribe meds because of the scientific knowledge about the drugs. Most drug reps anyway have miniscule knowledge about the drugs they are selling. If you ask them about pharmacokinetics, drug interactions and statistical analysis of in vivo and ex vivo drug studies, they are usually at a lost. How can they possibly persuade most of the doctors? Most of them are not even able to explain the the p values. However, just like any other groups of workers, there are exceptions.
The free medicines they give, they all are given to the indigents and as starter kits. Nothing goes to the mds. The trend now is to give generics if available. Even if you give free meds from drug reps, say for at least one month, the final patient’s cost for most drugs given by drug reps are a lot more expensive if you consider the total duration of the medication ( which in most cases life time meds as in htn and dm).
I have been seeing several doctors myself asides my family physician and never for once experience any of them biased towards any specific drug firms or brand.
Usually with different medications for similar illness, the Good Doctor will try and screen different brands that will cause the least side effects with the same effective results especially for lifetime maintenance meds.
Sometimes, my family doc will even ask my own preference. screening is most important for side effects.
But I also have some information from my very own siblings practicing Doctors in U.S. that they have had several colleagues visiting from the Philippines on the junkets of Pharmaceutical firms on convention “kuno” and of course that will influence their biases towards particular firms, but that will eventually even out among Physicians. EXCEPT..except the cost of their trips that maybe not necessary will eventually reflected to the cost of the drugs..
‘what happened in cebu was just a symptom of a larger problem…’
Lahat kasi ginagawang biro. Nasobrahan ng Tito, Vic, and Joey comedy ang mga Pilipino.
pilipino: there are literally tons of studies on the influence of drug reps on medical practicioners. medical detailing have been banned on many hospitals, medical groups in the US because they exert much influence on their prescribing habits which sometimes is out of boudns to their own specialties practice guidelines.
doctors are humans too and are prone to schoomozing by young, good looking, well dressed, likeable med reps who gives freebies left and right to push for their own products. our doctors too have their own pharmacies in house, laboratories and diagnostic equipment they partly own which is subject to abuse as they are the ones ordering tests and prescribing medications. medical conventions fully paid in rome, las, vegas, seattle, paris for specialists is the norm nowadays. it will be naive for us not to think that there will be no strings attach.
this has been going on for years and has been an acceptable practice. the medical profession should self regulate and reform itself, otherwise there will be such outrage in the years to come as our country has now slowly embraced those seeking changes in every aspect of our daily lives.
Jonas Burgos is one Pilipino the country needs more of — a professional farmer with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Benguet State University and one in search of human rights for all.
“anne applebaum
charles krauthammer (my write-in)
tom friedman
gen. david petraeus
christopher hitchens”
Nobodies (mere columnists and second-rate left-wing advocates) compared to the inventor of the Intarwebs.
Jonas case- it is a conspiracy within the government. yes his background will fit to be in charge of department of agriculture.
Brain Drain Issue: the Philippines has been in inflationary trend since the 60’s. She was not able to capitalize on her very strong economics in the late 50’s and very early 60’s. Back then, the Peso to Dollar exchange rate was 2:1. She was almost as strong as America, and in fact the Philippines was the number one nation in the Southeast Asia.
Unfortunately, her leaders failed to bolster her world power potential and the effect is her spiral downturn which is still very evident today. That is why, a great percentage of the Filipinos would rather leave their native land to find greener pasture across the seas.
Ironically, the Filipinos who are now working outside their country contribute greatly to the economy by remittance for financial help to their families.
Here is the tragedy: The more Filipinos leaving the Philippines COULD mean better economy but the Philippines is being DRAINED of her intellectuals. People who she direly need as human resources to jump-start and sustain her internal growth are mostly gone. And those who are left are quiet, terrorized, kidnapped and the majority are poor.
What will happen? The poor are barely able to sustain themselves so they will resort to anything to survive, ANYTHING! Crime rate in the Philippines has increased to a very alarming rate, as seen by the United Nations and many other countries, and of course, witnessed by the people of the Philippines themselves.
So, when the balanced is tipped, wherein the pouring of foreign currency dwindle, the Philippines will experience an inflation never before seen in its entire history.
So what will the Filipino people do? Will they avert this seemingly inevitable consequence? Well, let’s see what the rest of the Filipinos will do. Their leaders cannot be relied to.
i would rather have my doctor choose the brand of medicine he/she wants me to take than the drugstore pharmacist or sales clerk. the latter could easily let you buy the more expensive brand anyway (also telling you that the cheaper one is already out of stock).
i should always ask my doctor the specific advantage of his preferred brand as against other options.
magdiwang,
i don’t agree with what you said about medical conventions and tons of papers supporting your assertions. i have been in numerous cmes, conventions etc. in most states.i did not see those things. those are illegal and medical ethics is strictly observed by ama, specialty orgs.,state orgs etc. i have yet to see a paper published in jama, ama, cap, bmedical j. etc., those legitimate medical and scientific journals. maybe you read those stats from tabloids.
This is so true. Laging naka ngiting-aso ang Pinoy no matter what the undertaking.
A noted Pinoy economist based in New York wrote back in 2000:
Read the full article here:
http://www.geocities.com/benign0/agr-disagr/10-comsen.html
Kawawang Pinoy. 😀
Dakay and the can of body spray are both pains in the butt.
i certainly dont want you to believe me. just i said there are thousands of research on the influence of the pharmaceutical industry to the medical profession. do a medline search and you will be amazed on the findings. medical groups in the US worth their salt currently are intituting procedures to ban med reps into their clinics.
here is a sample link of journal articles.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10647801
i dont want to bore people here about this discussion of ours but you surely not aware what is happening in the medical field right now.
pilipino, i did a medline search for you. 840 articles, so you can update yourself in the current literature.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&DbFrom=pubmed&Cmd=Link&LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&LinkReadableName=Related%20Articles&IdsFromResult=8221424&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA
@Nash
ang problema ng mga mambabatas natin sa generic only provision ay mismong kalaban nila ang mga doctor kung maaalala natin ang issue na kung saan nagbanta ang mga doctor ng ospital holiday dahil mapipilitan silang ireseta ang generics kumpara sa mismong sinusulat nilang branded na gamot na in reality hindi abot sa pambili ng ordinaryong pasyente.
Ang sa akin lang kung tuluyan nang patayin ang generics only provision sana huwag pati ang drug price regulation na tutulong upang huwag masyadong maging mahal ang mga gamot na mabisa sa sakit ng mga ordinaryong pasyente.
This has got to be one of the most pretentious statements that i’ve come across, and i’m saying that as an intellectual.
benigno,
it was a good link but you missed mentioning the best part except you focus on the part that is not true. you must have been traumatized from the past and ashame of being a filipino. I will give you 10 years and look back on what you said. You have to be proud of yourself first before you can be proud of your country. Work on your own insecurities and don’t blame others.
There’s something wrong with the way you think. Are you really that young and insecure? One day, you will mature and be serious to be intellectual.
sana nga bumaba na.
http://www.itot54joni.com
Lahat kasi ginagawang biro. Nasobrahan ng Tito, Vic, and Joey comedy ang mga Pilipino. – supremo
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This reminds mo of the “Bansot” word being used by Manolo in some of his column against Gloria. And of course the so many NAMES printed in this blog….
Nasobrahan ng Tito, Vic, and Joey comedy ang mga Pilipino.
– supremo
Very pun-ny! 🙂
The hospital where it all happened was named after the ‘lolo’ of Tito and Vic Sotto.
rego: learn to sieve sarcasm from inanities. masyadong kang literal.
http://www.itot54joni.com/2008/04/filipino-homeless-in-new-york.html
Well, tough luck for you, gramps.
Unless you can articulate what it is specifically that you think is “wrong” with the way I think, your words will be nothing more than a typical Pinoy-style speculation about my personal circumstances.
As for you, Mr. cvj, let me ask you: Why exactly do you think that statement was “pretentious”?
For someone who is fond of going down to the atomic level of detail, you seem to have left out quite a bit of detail that may have gone a long way to supporting this quaint remark of yours.
– 😀
sige nga, what then would be characteristically an un-pinoystyle? and to which nationality would you attribute such style, mr ecological fallacy provocateur?
I thought you’d never ask. 😀
The un-Pinoy thing to do is to focus on the issues and ideas conveyed rather than on the messenger. If we evaluated our political parties in the same way, we wouldn’t have all of these Mickey Mouse political parties running around claiming to be some kind of “genuine” opposition every time fiesta elections are conducted in the islands.
If you are into credentials (which is also a typically Pinoy trait), my purely coincidental namesake enumerated qualities that are utterly missing in Pinoy society that we need to imbue in order to progress as a people waaaay back in 2001:
Time orientation. Progressive cultures emphasize the future. Static cultures emphasize the present or past.
Work is central to the good life in progressive cultures but is a burden in static cultures. In the former, work structures daily life. Diligence, creativity, and achievement are rewarded not only financially but also with satisfaction and self-respect.
Frugality is the mother of investment  and financial security  in progressive cultures but is a threat to the ‘egalitarian’ status quo in static cultures, which often have a zero-sum world view.
Education is the key to progress in progressive cultures. Connections and family are what count in static cultures.
Community. In progressive cultures, the radius of identification and trust extends beyond the family, to the broader society. Societies with a narrow focus of identification and trust are more prone to corruption, tax evasion, and nepotism, and they are less likely to engage in philantrophy.
Sixth. Merit is central to advancement in progressive cultures. Again, connections and family are what count in static cultures.
The ethical code tends to be more rigorous in progressive cultures. Every advanced democracy (except Belgium, Taiwan, Italy and South Korea appears among the 25 least corrupt countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
Justice and fair play are universal expectations in progressive cultures. In static culture, justice like personal advancement is often a function of whom you know and how much you can pay (Hear, hear! Now you know why GMA and Ping Lacson met in Malacañang. TCB).
Authority tends toward dispersion and horizontality in progressive cultures, towards concentration and verticality in static cultures.
Secularism. The influence of religious institution on civic life is small in progressive cultures. Its influence is often substantial in static cultures.
Check out the full article from which the above was excerpted here:
http://www.geocities.com/benign0/aboutus3.html
Lots to take in, dude. Unfortunately yet another typically Pinoy trait is an aversion to reading and comprehension. So you might need to work a bit extra hard in this instance.
– 😀