Rico Puno beleaguered/Hope for breast cancer victims

There are mixed reactions to the alleged involvements of DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno. His friends and some of the people I talked with believe that he is innocent of the charges that have been flung at his face. The other group, of course, sees him as just like any other banana, though falling under the wings of a new administration. The third group is simply waiting for the axe to fall on him, if he is indeed found guilty, and accepting of the verdict that he is not guilty.

It’s as if two worlds have crashed for the man said to be the closest of President Noynoy Aquino’s men. The more recent one is Archbishop Oscar Cruz’s bold announcement on television and testimony before a Senate committee, that Puno is a jueteng coddler, and that in fact, he is the recipient of a largesse of several millions of pesos from illegal gambling operators so they could continue operating in certain areas.

Quite surprisingly to a good number of people, Puno, who was told by the archbishop to his face during a television interview that he was a jueteng operator coddler, did not say anything to refute the ugly charge. Why, if he is clean, if he in fact did not receive money, did he not say anything? Silence, here, is interpreted as guilt. But is Puno indeed guilty of a crime usually committed by individuals with low moral standards? This question is of great importance, as Puno’s alleged act was broadcast internationally while the President was in the United States, with his popularity bolstered by his promise of leading a graft-and-corruption-free government.

The earlier fix in which Puno found himself in was his being questioned by the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) for his alleged failure to “disseminate” the President’s order to have the hostage crisis solved.

Why hasn’t the President reprimanded his close friend? 

An admirer of Puno told me, “Noynoy is no Pontius Pilate. He would not succumb to the demands of the mob, unlike the Roman governor who freed Barabbas and condemned Jesus because of the urgings of the mob. As president, Noynoy has sworn to uphold the law and render justice to every man. He will not commit an injustice just to please the shouters among the crowd. To do so would violate his sacred oath and undermine his administration.”

The President, upon reading the IIRC report, was reported to have said he would have his legal team study it. He told media in New York City, “There is a process. If I can give the process to our foes, our friends and allies are also entitled to that process — that you cannot have them hanged just because someone asks that you do so.”

Another observer told me, “Noynoy’s stand is reassuring, not just to the respondents in the hostage case, but to all Filipinos. This means that the President would stand by his pledge to do justice to every man, that every citizen, resident or visitor in this country would be given due process under the law, and that everyone would be considered innocent unless proven guilty as prescribed by our Constitution.”

“For his part, Puno has demonstrated his adherence to the rule of law. He had willingly submitted himself to investigation by the IIRC, unlike some people who would hide behind the cloak of lack of responsibility, and even presume to act as judge when they should be among those who should answer for any inaction or misjudgment.”

The claim of the IIRC that Puno failed to “disseminate” the President’s order in the hostage case is ridiculous, said another friend of mine, considering that according to the IIRC itself, the supervising police officers themselves countermanded the order of the President which was apparently relayed to them by Puno.

Puno has been a trusted friend of President Aquino for a long time. I am told that the President, who has not been charged of wrongdoing or dishonesty, knows that Puno’s integrity has never been questioned. Puno’s willingness to resign and submit his fate to President Aquino is a sign of sincerity, not only of friendship, but also of attachment, to the interests of our country. Surely the President would have also discerned in his friend Rico an abiding desire to serve the country, especially as both of them had vigorously waged a campaign to rid the government of corruption and inefficiency.

Puno, according to people who know him well, should stay in the government. I agree.

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On another front, by some inexplicable development, the Philippines has the highest incidence of breast cancer in the Southeast Asian region. An alarming report from the Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that breast cancer is indeed the most common cancer in the Philippines. Sadly, despite numerous efforts by government agencies, pharmaceutical companies and various advocacy groups to raise awareness on the disease, it is still generally being diagnosed late in its course, thereby lowering patient survival rates. According to the same report, approximately 6 percent of breast cancers are already metastatic upon diagnosis. Metastatic breast cancer or MBC describes the stages of the disease when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body via the bloodstream or lymphatic system.

On the upside, women who have been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer can find hope in targeted therapy. The biggest benefit of this treatment is its precision. Targeted cancer therapies are designed to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells, unlike traditional chemotherapy which can destroy both healthy and cancerous cells. Targeted therapy has fewer side effects, improves the overall quality of life of the cancer patient, and potentially improves overall survival. 

Well, here’s a bit of good news: more Filipino women with advanced ErbB2-positive breast cancer can now enjoy the health benefits of targeted therapy, as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reduced the price of its targeted therapy (Lapatinib) by 40 percent. 

Dr. Joven Tanchuco, GSK medical director, explained that by making Lapatinib more affordable, the company hopes to help more women fight breast cancer. Under its ValueHealth program, GSK has aligned with the pharmaceutical’s Lapatinib pricing policy for Southeast Asia, wherein the drug is made available at preferential prices based on the country’s Gross National Income.

From my stand, while breast cancer remains one of the top killers of women worldwide, advances in medicine and technology are helping more and more patients cope with cancer, and survive with a better quality of life. 

For more information on MBC and targeted therapy, consult your doctor.

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