Half-baked energy program

All hell broke loose over that stupid proposal to "convert" the nuclear power plant to natural gas. Even Palace spokesmen had to backtrack and toss the queries to the energy department. One of the things said in support of the conversion is availability of the original high voltage transmission lines, ready to be used. It became obvious to me that whoever fed that proposal to poor Ate Glo didn’t do his homework.

In fact, that someone didn’t even lift the phone to check with Transco the state of the transmission lines. Well, I did and this is what I found out. "Portions of the 230 kv line are still there although they are energized at only 69 kv since that’s all we have use for at the moment. Many other portions have since disappeared to become pots and pans."

Okay, so the right-of-way is still there but stringing that high voltage line again is also going to cost lots of money, something the government does not have now. And if they are not careful, it is easy for that right-of-way to disappear as squatters take possession of the land. Government agencies are not known to defend rights-of-way well.

You don’t have to be an investment banker. Even a grade six pupil in need of the remedial bridge program quickly realizes it makes no sense to build a pipeline for natural gas to Bataan just to power one plant, unless the real objective is to screw the taxpayer with overpriced contracts. Build that power plant in Batangas where capital outlays will be minimized by the presence of needed pipeline and transmission lines.

I suspect they want to be able to say they "converted" the nuclear plant to natural gas and report something positive about an expensive white elephant. But I say it is not worth the expense. That plant is designed to run on nuclear power and cannot economically be converted to use other fuels. The only asset usable, for all practical purposes, is the land.

We used to joke that the only thing we could do to make that nuclear plant useful is to build a Disneyland-type science and recreational park. Even Disneyland does not have an honest-to-goodness nuclear plant as a centerpiece. Because it has never been used and the radioactive fuel rods are no longer there, the innards can be safely viewed at close range. At least, Pinoy taxpayers can see where their money went and is still going. They will also get some education on nuclear energy besides.

For now, my big worry is the quality of energy advice the President is getting. If a half-baked idea, like the conversion of the nuclear plant, was sold to her, and she appears to have initially bought it, we cannot be optimistic. Poor Ate Glo. And poor us.

Doctors Lament

PinoyMD, a website founded and edited by Dr. Michael Hussin B. Muin, a professor of Clinical Anatomy and Medical Informatics in Pangasinan, carried an interesting editorial that tackles the frustrations of local medics. "It is a sad fact," Dr. Muir wrote, "that bank tellers and call center agents get better pay than general physicians in HMOs and residents in training."

Dr. Muir continues, "Bank tellers may get as much as P15,000 per month while GPs (doctors who are general practitioners) get P9,000-P12,000. Call center agents get as much as P21,000 per month while residents in private hospitals are lucky to get anything over P10,000. People who handle money and customer service get better wages than those who handle lives."

Yet, doctors are constrained in the choice of methods to getting attention so their plight can be addressed. "When factory workers stop working, production goes down. When jeepney drivers wage a strike, transportation grinds to a halt. But when doctors go on strike, patients die."

Dr. Muir relates that when doctors fight for a collective cause and threaten work stoppage, their ‘mass action" is always adjusted to the requirements of their calling. In one private hospital, Dr. Muir relates "they gathered just outside the emergency room and carried placards and signs. But the whispers and conversations within carried in them the futility of their efforts.

"Tawagin mo ako pag may dumating na pasyente." "Akyat muna ako at mag-a-assist ako sa OR." "Sandali lang, andyan na yung follow-up ko." These are phrases uttered by the doctors on strike. Even the venue of the strike is crucial. They have to sit it out in front of the emergency room and scramble in when an emergency case arrives. Once the patient is stabilized and brought up to the floors, they then trickle back into the strike area, anxious and ready for another case."

Dr. Muir correctly pointed out "doctors are pinned to the wall. If they fight back, people die. But if they don’t fight back – well, they go home tired and weary. In any case, the health of Philippine society hinges on the Filipino doctors‚ sense of decency – the decency to put the patient first – above anything and everything, even their own needs. Hospitals and managed health companies exploit this sense of decency to a fault. They know doctors will not abandon patients. Patients will still be treated, surgeries will still be performed, follow-ups will still be done."

We have all seen the negative impact of public school teachers fleeing the country to work abroad, as maids. Now, doctors are fleeing to become nurses abroad. Ironically, Ate Glo was talking of "health tourism" to attract patients from abroad the way Thailand and Malaysia are doing it now. But if we do not take care of our doctors, we may not even be able to handle the locals. The problem is, what happens to the health care system if doctors can no longer take the personal sacrifice?

After all, not all doctors are consultants at Makati Med or St. Luke’s. Government and private hospitals must address this problem before it is too late. It may already be.

Why?

Sonny Mendoza sent in something that tries to answer the question, why do men die first.

If you put a woman on a pedestal and try to protect her from the rat race ... you’re a male chauvinist. If you stay home and do the housework...you’re a pansy.

If you work too hard...there’s never any time for her. If you don’t work enough...you’re a good-for-nothing bum.

If you get a promotion ahead of her... that is gender bias. If she gets a promotion ahead of you... it’s equal opportunity.

If you mention how nice she looks... it’s sexual harassment. If you keep quiet... it’s male indifference.

If you cry... you’re a wimp. If you don’t... you’re insensitive.

If you appreciate the female form and frilly underwear... you’re a pervert. If you don’t... you’re gay.

If you like a woman to shave her legs and keep in shape... you’re sexist. If you don’t... you’re unromantic.

If you buy her flowers... you’re after something or guilty about something. If you don’t... you’re not thoughtful.

If she has a headache... she’s tired. If you have a headache... you don’t love her anymore.

If you want it too often... you’re oversexed. If you don’t... there must be someone else.

Men die first because they want to???

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]