Value of time - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

Rep. Roilo Golez, one of the principal players in the historic episode that led to the toppling of the Erap regime, sent a reaction to my column item about Filipino time. "I fully agree with you about the need to restructure the Filipino’s sense of time and urgency," he said. "That is one area where we can gain so much, practically overnight, in national productivity."

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Roy Golez has a favorite anecdote to dramatize how much we should value time. The anecdote refers to a manager opening a Monday morning meeting with his staff. The manager said: "Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Today is Monday, tomorrow is Tuesday and the next day is Wednesday. My God, the week is almost over and we haven’t done anything yet!"

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I am glad that former Tourism Secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta has not been discouraged by the turn of events brought about by People’s Power II, that she still continues to take an active interest in matters affecting our country and our people. Take, for instance, that letter sent to me by a college student of De La Salle University, Blessie Abad, about the need for People Power to be taken to our homes, schools, and places of work. "This is where the real revolution starts, the battle against graft and corruption in our society. We must cleanse our lives of bribery, nepotism, cronyism and abuse of power," Blessie stated.

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Gemma’s reaction to Blessie’s letter is worth quoting. "Such wise words from someone so young! Indeed, the real revolution should be the way we lead our daily lives. The battle against corruption does not concern only the big fish. What about the schools of small fish whose voracious nibbling is undermining our institutions? It is easy and noble to affirm that one is willing to die for the Filipino. But what about living for the Filipino?" Gemma said.

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Gemma recalled that a few days ago, while watching a business show on television, she heard a financial analyst say that the problem of the Philippines is that the rich want to become Spaniards, the poor want to become Americans, and no one wants to be a Filipino. "How frightful, if that is true," Gemma said. "It is noble to declare that one is willing to die for the Philippines, but are we willing to live for the Philippines?"

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Are consumers being taken for a ride? Yes, said Rey Ruellan, who has a valid complaint about his HP LaserJet 6. When his HP could not function properly because of a defective spare part, he asked the supplier to undertake the needed repair. The supplier told Ruellan that he would have to wait for 30 to 60 days for the imported spare part, since none is available locally.

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Ruellan then called HP Philippines, but he got the same answer, that he had to wait for 30 to 60 days. How can this be, Ruellan asked, when HP Philippines is the largest printer dealer in the Philippines? How can such a big dealer fail to stock parts for the products that it sells? Ruellan thinks correctly so, that customers should be protected.

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Ruellan’s plight is not unusual in the local market. There are times when a motor vehicle, for example, has to be repaired, but it takes weeks, even months before the repair work is done, all because of the lack of spare parts for the vehicle. Certainly, the government, particularly the Department of Trade and Industry, should take steps to protect the consuming public.

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Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is, at last gaining ground in the United States. Here are facts about CAM, as gathered by reliable institutions:

• 80 percent of medical students want training in CAM/therapies

• 70 percent of physicians want training in CAM

• 69 percent of Americans use unconventional medical therapies

• 67 percent of health maintenance organizations offer at least one form of complementary alternative care

• 64 percent of US medical schools offer courses in CAM

• 60 percent of physicians have referred patients to CAM practitioners

• 50 percent of physicians surveyed expect to begin or increase usage of homeopathic and holistic recommendations

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My good friend Noli Agcaoili does not stop sending me text messages that contain food for thought. Here is the latest from Noli: "Everything that God allows to come our way is with a purpose. He uses even the greatest error and the deepest hurt to mold us into persons of worth and value."

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Here are excerpts from letters I received during the past several days:

Proceso Carlos, La Palma, California, USA: "Why is the government taking so long to arrest Estrada? The evidence against him is very strong."

Manny Ramirez, Chula Vista, California, USA: "Our youth must be given credit for EDSA II."

Ambassador (ret.) Hermenigildo C. Cruz, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, USA: "You and others in the media played a major role in bringing about EDSA II. I hope you will all regard EDSA II as only the first step in a long process. It should not be declared a success until Erap and his minions are all in jail. Had FM and his lackeys been put in jail, there would have been no Erap and no EDSA II."

Jean Louis Z. Locsin: "Erap’s continued claim to the presidency is pathetic. Until he can find a way to squeeze out of his predicament, his lawyers and advisers will continue to feed him with crazy ideas. And he will believe them!"

Jojo Dancel, China: "GMA’s administration should start prosecuting Erap and all his cronies. The earlier, the better."

Rosauro H. Suarez, Nagcarlan, Laguna: "With the coming elections, we must start a movement that will emphasize to our people, especially the youth, how important it is to thoroughly evaluate the qualifications of the candidates."

R. Gonzales, Brooklyn, New York: "Tardiness and payabangan were traits we inherited from the Spaniards. Time to emulate the Americans when it comes to punctuality. Take up, Filipinos!"

Jay Entruda, Iowa, USA: "President GMA should take a second look at those in her Cabinet. Scoundrels and those with polka dotted histories should be yanked out."

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My e-mail address: [email protected]