Time for reforms

Now that another Lenten season and Easter Sunday have come and melted away, will the dawn of another season bring dramatic, pleasant changes and reforms in our land? Or will the status quo remain, where political squabbles, crab mentality, national disunity, selfishness, and other ugly attributes dominate our landscape? Will all those prayers uttered in Christian churches during the Holy Week be heeded and followed by our people, especially by our national leaders, so that the country’s road to economic and social recovery can begin in earnest? Unless these changes and reform come, this present generation may not be able to see and enjoy the blessings of a new, prosperous life.

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Many sympathize with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. They see how she is trying so hard to succeed in her job as President of our Republic. Yet, what she has spelled out as her administration’s goals for the well-being of our people are hard to attain. She is meeting so many roadblocks along the way, foremost of which is the crab mentality of our politicians. Sometimes, one gets the feeling that many of our political leaders do not want the President to succeed.

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The absence of national unity is one of the main reasons why that "feel good" feeling, the national morale to make pleasant and beautiful things happen in our country, is hardly felt among our people. Somehow, there is a sense of drift, a tinge of disappointment, an atmosphere of pessimism and gloom prevailing in our landscape. It is this absence of national euphoria that has kept investors away and prevented our people from doing their best and pouring their hearts out in the task of community-building and nation-building.

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Paul Dalde, a Pinoy who is now living in Texas, USA, was one of those who trekked out of the Philippines to looking for opportunities to improve his lot and broaden his horizon. He explained that in his land of birth, honest people have very limited chance to improve and excel because of the Filipino system of "padrino". "Only those in that circle will get the benefit in the government service, government projects or in the private enterprises," he said.

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According to Dalde, private enterprises are worse because one has to be a graduate of UP, Ateneo or La Salle to be accepted or hired in a large corporation or to have a meaningful income. One has to be highly connected to have a job, adding that even buying a home is very hard.

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"Favoritism in opportunity is rampant and breeds corruption. Honest people cannot not thrive in that atmosphere, so there is that great exodus to unknown, foreign lands," Dalde said. In his case, he spent four years in the Middle East, made side trips to Europe and Asian capitals before he settled down in Houston in 1983.

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Oscar Landicho, the Filipino journalist who is now an Australian citizen, said that in Australia and other British Commonwealth countries, there are no bar and board exams. The final exam in each subject is considered a bar or board exam. When you flunk, you can pay a certain amount and have your exam result rechecked by another professor.

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In America, the bar and board examinations are computerized. And the examiners should pass an examination. This is fair because one does not know if the examiner is competent.

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According to Oca, our bar and board examinations need urgent reforms. As a Court Reporter of the pre-martial law Manila Times, he discovered some bar examination notebooks were not corrected by the examiners. For example, the examiner in Labor Law was assigned to correct the examination notebooks in Remedial Law. What is worse, he added, some bar examiners ask non-examiners to correct the bar examination notebooks.

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Landicho says that a senior citizen should NOT be appointed bar examiner. Because bar exami-nations involve the future of  law students and billions of pesos, our bar examiners should pass an examination to test their competency and our bar examinations should be computerized like in the US, he added.

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In America, bar examinations consist of writing four essays and a computerized examination. "Why can’t we do the same?," he asked.

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Landicho, cannot understand why DENR Secretary Sonny Alvarez was not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. As an environmentalist involved in waste management, Oca believes that Sonny Alvarez is a very competent man to handle DENR. "He is a committed and dedicated environmentalist. He is also a walking encyclopedia on environmental matters," he said. "The Philippines will have a bleak future if, because of vested interests, Alvarez is not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments."

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The Good Samaritan Foundation has already transmitted all the donations to indigent Ella Valenzuela, and thanks to the many kindhearted people who lent her a helping hand. Thank you, too, to Dr. Rolando Veneracion of Cabanatuan City, whom I bumped into, two years ago, at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, for his donation of P1,000 to the Good Samaritan Foundation.

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According to Dr. Conrad Javier, long-time Fil-Am medical practitioner in the United States, a well-known U. S. hospital in a mid-eastern state doing high volume  Knee and Hip replacements temporarily and voluntarily stopped doing the procedures due to unusually high death rates postoperatively. The cause was not the technical procedure but the findings of postoperative bacterial infections leading to septicemia (blood infection) and multi-organic shut down.

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Statistically speaking, observational studies have found old age and obesity to be associated with worse outcomes from these procedures and in terms of self assessed satisfaction and failure rates. It has found also limited evidence suggesting that knee replacement is effective in elderly obese people.

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In order to avoid any hospital or doctors, and especially the Arroyo government, from being blamed for any "worse outcome" with regards to Mr. Estrada’s intended surgery, if done in the Philippines, Dr. Javier suggested that the procedure should be done in the U.S.A. per his and his family’s wish. The Philippine medical specialists and the Filipino people should not be subjected to this very sensitive  situation for an ex-President’s surgery should the unimaginable " worse outcome", although very low statistically speaking", materializes, Dr. Javier concluded.

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Thoughts For Today:

A word of love give spice to life.
A word from a friend
gives happiness to the heart.
A word of God gives color,
light and meaning to our lives.

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In prayer, ask for wisdom not just answer.
Ask for a brave heart not just quick help.
Ask for endurance not just fast solutions.

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My e-mail addresses: [email protected] and [email protected]