Though how Progressive a Country is, there will always be Poverty because of Corruption

Though how Progressive a Country is, there will always be

Poverty because of Corruption

By Apolinario Villalobos

 

Perfection should be ruled out in the reckoning of a progressive country, because there will always be poverty due to corruption somewhere in the system of governance. In other words, the glitter of progress cannot hide poverty. For ultra-progressive countries, the signs may be insignificant as they try to blend with the glamour of urbanity. But in other countries, especially, the third-world, the signs are very prevalent, so that there is always a massive effort to cover them up occasionally, literally, as it is done every time there are special occasions such as visits of foreign dignitaries. This practice is successful in the Philippines.

 

Practically, poverty is the shadow of progress, and literally, too, as where there are looming high-rise buildings that are pockmarks of progress, not far from them are slums or homeless citizens who huddle together under bridges and nooks. These are misguided citizens who flock to the cities after selling their homestead, that have been farmed for several generations, to deceitful land developers, at a measly price. These are the urban squatters willing to be relocated but found out that the promised “paradise” do not even have a deep well so they go back to their sidewalk “homes”. These are contractual workers who have no job securities as they earn only for five to six months, after which they leave their fate to luck while looking for another job.

 

How does corruption ever be involved in the sad fate of the exploited? Simply, by the government’s negligence  in providing decent relocation sites with job opportunities and basic facilities to those uprooted from their city abodes for more than so many years; by its cuddling of the spurious contractualization perpetrated by greedy employers; by its failure to guide and protect the rights of farmers who sell their rice fields to subdivision developers at measly prices that are not even enough to sustain them for six months; by its failure to provide the citizens with the basic necessities as funds are allowed to be pocketed by corrupt officials; and practically by looking the other way despite the availability of laws against vote buying.

 

Third- world country leaders should stop using the word “progressive”, but instead they should use “surviving” to describe their respective economy. If a country’s economy cannot sustain, much less, provide a “comfortable life” to majority of its citizens, then it is still “ailing”…hence, expect poverty to be trailing behind, just a few steps away from the pretentious allegations!

 

 

 

Ang Tao, Kalinisan, Pagkain, at Iba Pa

Ang Tao, Kalinisan, Pagkain, at Iba Pa

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Hindi maganda sa isang tao ang sobra-sobrang pagiging malinis, kaya makakita lang ng pagala-galang inosenteng ipis ay animo naholdap na kung magsisigaw. Hindi masama ang maging malinis sa paligid, lalo na sa tahanan at katawan. Dapat lang nating alalahanin na lahat ng bagay, mabuti man, ay may limitasyon, tulad ng pag-inom ng gamot at pagkain. Ang binabakuna sa katawan ng tao upang magkaroon ito ng panlaban sa virus na nagiging sanhi ng iba’t ibang uri ng sakit ay virus din, kaya ang unang epekto nito ay pagkakaroon ng lagnat hanggang “masanay” ang katawan sa pagkakaroon nito. Ibig sabihin, may mga mikrobyo ding napapakinabangan ng tao, kahit ang mga ito ay itinuturing na marumi at salot.

 

May isa akong kaibigan na sa sobrang kalinisan sa bahay ay palaging pinapansin ang nalulugas na buhok ng kanyang misis kaya tuwing magsusuklay ito ay sinusundan niya at pinupulot ang mga buhok na nalalaglag sa sahig. Isang beses sinabihan uli niya ang kanyang misis ng, “o, marami na namang buhok ang nalugas mula sa ulo mo”. Napuno na yata ang misis kaya sinagot niya ang mister ng, “mabuti…ipunin mo para maihalo sa scrambled eggs bukas!”. Pinayuhan ko ang kaibigan ko na hindi tinatanggap sa korte ang nalulugas na buhok ng asawa na kumakalat sa sahig bilang dahilan ng annulment ng kasal, nang minsang humingi siya sa akin ng payo. Sa halip ay sinabihan ko siyang kumbinsihin ang asawang magpakalbo upang maibili niya ng maraming wig na iba’t iba ang pagkaayos at kulay para umayon sa kanyang mood! Hindi ko na nakita ang kaibigan ko… sana hindi sinaksak ng misis!

 

May mag-asawa naman akong kilala na dati ay bugnutin pero hinayaan ko na lang dahil parehong mahigit 70 na ang edad. Pero nang makita ko uli ay sila pa ang unang bumati sa akin. Nang tanungin ko kung ano ang pagbabago sa buhay nila, ang sabi nila, “hindi na kami madalas maglinis ng bahay”. Noon kasi habang naglilinis sila ng bahay ay minumura nila ang alikabok, at maghapon silang nakasimangot lalo pa at nakikita nila ang pagkakalat ng dalawang apo. Nadiskubre din nila na mula noong hindi na sila madalas maglinis, tuwing umaga ay may dalawa hanggang tatlong ipis silang nakikita na nagkikisay. Sabi ko sa kanila ay malamang na-“suffocate” o nalason ng naipong alikabok sa sahig ang mga ipis na ginagapangan nila. Dagdag- paliwanag ko pa ay, kaya siguro mas gustong manirahan ng ipis sa cabinet at mga sulok ay dahil wala halos alikabok sa mga ito. Bilang payo, sinabihan ko silang mag-ball room dancing na rin.

 

Maraming ospital na hi-tech ang naglilipana ngayon saan mang panig ng mundo, kasama na diyan ang Pilipinas at nagpapataasan pa ng singil. Dahil sa kamahalan ng kanilang singil, ang nakakakaya lang magpa-admit ay mayayaman, na ang kadalasang sakit ay sa puso, kanser at iba pang sakit na pangmayaman.  Subali’t hindi maipagkakaila na ang mga sakit na nabanggit ay nakukuha rin sa mga “maruming pagkain”. Ito yong mga pagkaing ipinagbawal na nga ng doctor ay patuloy pa ring kinakain. Alam na ng lahat kung ano ang mga “maruming” pagkain kaya kalabisan na kung babanggitin ko pa. Upang pabalik-balik sa mga doktor ang mga pasyente, siyempre dahil sa kikitain mula sa mahal na konsultasyon, sinasabihan na lang nila ang mga ito na kumain ng mga dapat ay bawal na pagkain “in moderation”, o hinay-hinay, o paunti-unti. Obviously, ay upang hindi bigla ang pag-goodbye sa mundo….at tulad ng nabanggit na, tuloy pa rin ang mahal na konsultasyon!

 

Ang industriya sa paggawa ng mga pagkaing dapat ay “moderate” lang daw kung kainin ay tuloy sa paglago at pagkita ng limpak-limpak upang  masupurtahan naman ang gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng buwis na binabayad nila. Ang ilang mababanggit na produkto ay processed foods na may salitre o preservative, maraming asin, food coloring, na tulad ng hot dog, corned beef,  bacon, ham, smoked fish, at mga inuming may kulay at artipisyal na lasa.

 

Sa puntong ito, gustong ipakita ng mga Tsino na nangunguna sila sa lahat ng bagay kaya pati ang paggawa ng nakalalasong artificial na bigas, sotanghon, alak, at pati ang itinanim na ngang bawang ay inaabunuhan din ng isang uri ng fertilizer na nakakalason sa tao, upang maging “matibay” at hindi mabulok agad sa imbakan. Ang masama lang, artificial at nilason na nga ang mga pagkain ay nakikipagsabwatan pa ang mga Tsino sa mga walang puso at konsiyensiyang mangangalakal sa Pilipinas upang maipuslit ang mga ito kaya hindi napapatawan ng karampatang buwis. Kung sa bagay, paano nga namang maipapadaan sa legal na proseso ang mga produktong bawal?  Maliban lang siyempre…. kung palulusutin naman ng mga buwaya at buwitre sa Customs!

 

Ang legal namang buwis na nalilikom ay ginagamit ng gobyerno sa mga proyektong kailangan ng bansa at mga mamamayan sa pangkalahatan. Kaya masasabing may pakinabang din pala ang paggawa ng pagkaing unti-unting pumapatay sa tao…. isang paraan nga lang ng pagsi-self annihilate o pagpapakamatay…. upang makontrol ang paglobo ng populasyon…na ang ibang paraan ay giyera, kalamidad tulad ng bagyo, baha, lindol, at matinding tag-tuyot!

 

Kung hindi dahil sa nabanggit na mga paraan, baka pati sa tuktok ng mga bulkan ay may mga condominium at subdivision dahil sa dami ng mga taong aabutin ng mahigit 100 taong gulang bago mamatay…at  baka biglang mawala ang wildlife na magiging delicacy na rin dahil sa kakulangan ng pagkain…at baka magiging bahagi na rin ng pagkain ng tao ang minatamis na mga dahon at balat ng kahoy!

 

Sa Tsina ay delicacy ang talampakan ng oso o bear. Sana ang magagaling na Tsinong chef ay makadiskubre ng masasarap na recipe para sa buwaya, buwitre, at hunyango…marami kasi nito sa Pilipinas para mapandagdag sa pagkain ng mga Pilipinong nagugutom dahil ninanakaw ng mga walang kaluluwa ang pera ng bayan!

 

Ang Punong Kahoy ay Parang Ahensiya ng Gobyerno

Ang Punong Kahoy ay Parang Ahensiya ng Gobyerno

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

 

Ang ibang opisyal ng gobyerno ay nakakatawa at nakakaawa tuwing magkamot ng ulo habang nagsasabing lahat ay ginawa na nila sa sistema ng ahensiya nila, subalit wala pa rin silang natatamong pagbabago. Ang tinutumbok ko rito ay ang wala pa ring pagbabago sa mga kulungan sa buong Pilipinas, lalo na yong malalaking nasa Muntinlupa at ang Manila City Jail. Pati si de Lima na nagpakita ng katigasan at katapangan ay wala ring nagawa dahil ilang buwan pa lamang makalipas ang mga “raid” na siya pa ang nanguna sa Muntilupa na nagresulta sa paglipat ng mga high-profile na mga preso, at pagpalit ng hepe, ay bumalik uli sa dati ang sitwasyon makaraan  lang ang ilang buwan na parang walang nangyari.

 

Napalitan nga ang hepe, pero ang tanong ay: pinalitan ba nila ang mga nasa ibaba?. Kung ang sagot ay hindi, eh di, mauulit pa rin talaga ang mga kapalpakan. Ang may diretsahang nakakakontak sa mga nakakulong ay itong mga taong sa isang tingin ay aakalaing mga inosente at walang kapangyarihan. Sino ba ang nakakadaupang-palad ng mga preso 24/7, hindi ba itong mga bantay na maliit ang suweldo? Pero hindi ko pa rin nilalahat, dahil siguradong marami pa ring tapat sa kanilang trabaho kaya nadadamay lang. Kung may nalalaman man sila ay hindi pa rin sila makakapagsalita dahil maaaring natatakot sa mga kasama nilang sangkot sa mga raket.

 

Lingguhan mang magpalit ng mga hepe kung ang mga tauhang akala ng lahat ay “harmless” o inosente o walang kamuwang-muwang ay nasa puwesto pa rin nila o di kaya ay inilipat lang ng duty pero sa loob pa rin compound, hindi pa rin mawawala ang katiwalaan. Ang suhestiyon ko noon ay drastic change – tanggalin lahat ang mga guwardiya mula sa kasalukuyang puwesto nila at pagpalit-palitin ang area assignment. Halimbawa ang mga nasa Maynila ay ilipat sa penal colony ng Palawan o Davao. Ang mga nasa dalawang nabanggit na probinsiya naman ay ilipat sa Maynila. Sa ganitong paraan ay mawawala ang halos ay “magkumpare” o “fraternal” nang relasyon ng mga preso at bantay nila.

 

Para nang nakakaloko ang sinasabi palagi ng pamunuan ng mga kulungan na kulang sila ng mga tauhan. Bakit hindi isinasama itong problema sa mga rekomendasyon na ang pinakamagandang pagkakataon sana ay nang mamuno ng raid si de Lima?  Bakit hindi isinasama sa nirerekomendang taunang budget? Samantala, kung hindi maipatutupad ang drastic change na pagpalit-palit ng area assignment ng mga guwardiya, baka pwedeng magtalaga ng mga sundalo  para magbigay ng “task force duty” (TDY). Ang pagtalaga ng mga sundalo bilang guwardiya ay mas makatao kaysa maka-hayop na ginagawa sa Indonesia, kung saan ang ginagamit na guwardiya sa mga kulungan ay buwaya!

 

Kailangang matanggal ang sinasabi nilang “fraternal” na pakikisama ng mga bantay sa mga nakakulong lalo na ang mga mayayaman. Hindi pwedeng ang ganitong pakisama ay walang katumbas na pera, kaya sino ba naman ang hindi kakagat sa libo-libong nakakaakit na suhol? Ang mga lumang modelo at second-hand na cellphone na nabibili daw lamang ng tatlong daan sa mga bangketa ay nabebenta ng patago sa mga nakakulong sa libong halaga. Dahil diyan, paanong mapuputol ang koneksiyon ng mga nakakulong na drug lords sa mga tauhan nila sa labas ng kulungan? Nakakatawa na tuloy ang sinasabi ng mga namumuno na tuwing nagri-raid sila sa mga kulungan, daan-daang mga cellphone ang kasama sa mga nakukumpeska o nasasamsam na deadly weapons, at “sinisira” daw nila! Bakit sinisira kung totoo man, ganoong dapat ay ipasailalim sila sa forensic examination upang ma-check ang memory na naglalaman ng mga pangalan ng kontak nila sa labas? Bakit pa sabihing gumagamit ng alyas ang mga kontak, hindi ba pwedeng gawaan ng paraan upang mabusisi ang mga impormasyong makukuha?

 

Hindi kailangan ang sobrang katalinuhan upang makapag-analisa sa totoong nangyayari sa loob ng mga kulungan….bakit hindi magawa ng mga taong itinalaga dahil “matalino” naman yata sila tulad ni Pnoy?

 

Ang punong kahoy na nagkaugat na ng malalim, putulan man ng mga sanga at tanggalan ng lahat ng dahon, subalit hindi bubunutin ay tutubuan pa rin ng mga bagong  talbos na magiging dahon at sanga, at lalong lalago pa. Patuloy pa rin itong mabubuhay dahil sa tumibay nang ugat na lumalim pa ang pagkabaon. Ganyan din ang mga ahensiya ng gobyerno na hindi natatanggalan ng mga taong nasa “ibaba” na may alam tungkol sa mga katiwalian. Magpalit man ng mga namumunong itatalaga sa mataas na puwesto, na hindi tumatagal dahil political appointees lamang, ay hindi pa rin mawawala ang katiwalian dahil ang mga nasa “ibaba” na “malalim” na ang kaalaman sa masistemang katiwalian ay nasa puwesto pa rin. Ang nangyayari sa mga kulungan ay hindi malayong nangyayari rin sa iba pang mga ahensiya ng gobyerno.

 

Ang mga ugat na nasa ilalim ng lupa ay nakatago, hindi nakikita subalit malaki ang nagagawa upang mapalago ang isang puno dahil sila ang sumisipsip sa lupa ng mga sustansiyang nagbibigay ng buhay sa punong kahoy.

 

More on Herbal Remedies and Philippine Vegetables…that I personally tried

More on Herbal Remedies and Philippine Vegetables

…that I personally tried

By Apolinario Villalobos

I would just like to emphasize that discipline is very necessary if one shall try herbal remedies which require consistently patient preparation. On the other, conviction resulting from “conversion” to the nutritional benefits of Philippine indigenous vegetables is necessary before one can make the edible leaves and roots part of his or her diet – for consistency’s sake. The following are enhancements to what I have already written on this subject:

MALUNGGAY (MORINGA) – this plant is a “must” in every Filipino’s yard;  for those living in the city, it can be planted in plastic containers that saw good old days as “water bottles” on dispensers; the juice of the mashed leaves can stop bleeding even of open wounds in seconds; the dried seeds can lower the level of bad cholesterol; one of the discoveries of archaeologists in Africa were several thousand year-old water jars with dry malunggay seeds at the bottom, proof that the seeds were used as anti-bacterial; it is considered as among the “miracle” plants, infused by nature with plenty of nutrients, that is why, it is being used as enhancer for instant noodles and rice porridge to make them healthy, and fed to the children in feeding programs; it is not bitter as many people believe; the leaves can be air-dried, crumpled or powdered and stored; a teaspoon in powder form can be added to a mug of coffee, while the crushed  dried leaves can be added in pasta sauce, as well as, vegetable dishes, especially, monggo, or in fried rice.

SOFT, YOUNG GUAVA LEAVES – in my earlier blog, I forgot to mention that the guava leaves tea can alleviate the diabetes; the finely chopped young leaves can be added to salads, to lessen the tangy taste and odor of onion; it is suggested that the tea be always ready on hand as an after-meal deodorizer of the mouth; the fruit, I still maintain, to be more laden with vitamin c than citrus; my day is not complete until I drink at least two mugs of this tea.

LEMON GRASS (TANGLAD) – this herb can be frozen even for one month (I have tried it), but first, each root with stem must be cleaned thoroughly and entwined or interlaced before being kept in a plastic bag, to save on space in the freezer; the tea can alleviate colds aside from purportedly weakening cancer cells; before the “guyabano craze” hit the herb market, lemon grass was already very popular in Europe; an Israeli travel agent enhances his Holy Land package tours for Europeans by offering a side trip to a “desert  garden” for unlimited cups of lemon grass tea;

PAPAYA – the green fruit is full of vitamin C and has anti-cancer properties; the leaf has similar use as “tawa-tawa” grass, as the tea from the boiled leaf can increase the red blood cell count of the dengue victim; the ripe fruit can give one comfort in moving his or her bowel; the seeds can be dried, peeled and eaten as they are also full of nutrients; the dried seeds can also be added to guyabano and other leave to be boiled into tea.

LUPỘ – this is a wild indigenous vegetable more known among the Ilonggos, and lately, found to have anti-cancer properties, as just like the turmeric, it also blocks the passage of food to the cancer cells, thereby, starving them; it grows in rice fields and swamps; the vegetable can combine well with mongo or any fish dish, especially, milk fish or bangus.

CHILI – strengthens the immune system; its ‘hotness’, however, poses a problem to those who are suffering from hemorrhoid; if it cannot be avoided by people with the mentioned problem, suggested is drinking plenty of water to dilute the “hot substance” of the fruit, after meal; in my case, I add plenty of pounded fresh chili to the jar of salt, bottles of olive oil, canola oil, and palm oil to make them really hot; I add at least two spoons of dry chili flakes in any dish, or sprinkle them on fried rice, and instant noodles; I also add chili flakes to tomato sauce for my pasta;

PERIWINKLE (PAGATPAT) – the tea from boiled leaves can cure cancer as supported by testimonies of patients who got cured of breast cancer after religiously drinking tea from boiled leaves; it is really bitter, but if only for its medicinal value, one should endure the taste which I am doing, as the bitterness also neutralizes the sugar level in the blood; the tea cleanses the kidney; suggested intake is every other day of the week.

AMPALAYA (BITTER GOURD) – the sliced vegetable must not be mashed in salt and squeezed of its bitter juice as it becomes useless; the best way to lessen or remove the bitter taste is just to soak the sliced gourd in cold or iced water for about ten minutes – do not squeeze, just put the slices in a colander and allow them to drain; the fruit and leaves of this vegetable can prevent diabetes.

The Philippines is so blessed by Nature with plenty of plants with edible fruits, shoots, leaves and even flowers. Unfortunately, because of the “colonial mentality” that developed with the arrival of the Spanish and American colonizers, many of the Filipinos forgot about them or worse, refuse to eat them, in favor of the “western” vegetables such as cabbage potato, and many others, although, considered as nutritious, too, but comparably expensive. This mentality sort of, got worsened lately, with the influx of imported vegetables and fruits from other countries, especially, China and the United States. There is no question about the nutrients found in the imported vegetables and fruits. What I am driving at here, is that indigenous vegetables and fruit trees can be planted in our yard or any vacant lot! Can the same be done to the imported “food stuff” that may have been sprayed with insecticide to preserve them while in transit?

My Kitchen, Backyard, and Neighbors’ Yard are my Pharmacies

My Kitchen, Backyard, and Neighbors’ Yard are My Pharmacies

By Apolinario Villalobos

Today, it is back to basics for ailment remedies, a practice that the modern medical community is beginning to tolerate and respect. Preventive medicine is now being promoted instead of the reactive medications that are given to patients upon the inception of diseases. By “basics” and “prevention”, I mean herbal medications, clean and free from synthetic elements that are used to preserve extracted medicinal substances from plants.

One story I love to share among friends who are willing to listen is about the lowly “saluyot”, an indigenous vegetable in the Philippines that healed the open wounds of my former landlady, due to diabetes. She was not healed by many notoriously-priced and prescribed drugs that practically depleted her bank account. She was at the verge of despair as the latest doctor that she consulted prescribed amputation, when her former laundrywoman paid her a visit and upon seeing her sorry situation, immediately suggested “saluyot”. For several months, she forced herself to eat the said vegetable with her meals, three times a day, until the wound finally dried up and healed.

Anybody can have a pharmacy of sort in their home, particularly, in the kitchen. Shelves can be stacked with vitamins that can be eaten, and “drugs” that can flavor foods. The following are some of the few and their use that I am sharing, as I have proved them to be effective in my case:

TURMERIC – this spice can be purchased in powder form from groceries; known among Filipinos as “luyang dilaw”; a teaspoon can be diluted in mug of coffee in the morning and another at noon; the powder can enhance the taste of fish cooked in vinegar or vegetables cooked in coconut milk; it practically eliminated the cyst in my colon after five months.

STAR ANISE – I boil several of these with guyabano, mango leaves, and tanglad (lemon grass), and the concocted tea I use for my coffee with turmeric; it eliminated my sinusitis.

OLIVE OIL – a spoonful of this oil is mixed with practically everything that I cook even boiled rice, as it is good for the heart; it made my bowel movement comfortable.

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL – I take one spoonful of this oil with raw honey everyday; it reduced the level of my bad cholesterol; I add one spoon to a glass of water that I gurgle and drink the gurgled water to remove bad breath, especially in the morning.

GARLIC – I steam one whole clove or several on top of the simmering boiled rice; pungent smell is eliminated; I eat them with my meals; it normalized my blood pressure.

ONION – a very important ingredient for dishes as well as curing colds, especially, if eaten raw in salad or cooked as soup.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR OR PURE COCO VINEGAR – aside from its use as preservative of cooked foods and raw vegetables prepared as “achara”, it can also be concocted as a home-made refreshing drink, by adding two spoons to a glass of water sweetened with honey; the vinegar neutralizes acidity of the stomach. As information, during the Biblical time, vinegar which perhaps could have been derived from grapes, mixed with water, was considered as a refreshing drink; mixed with myrrh, it was used as a pain killer, reason why Jesus while suffering on the cross was made to drink such mixture…it was not part of his punishment, but to somehow to relieve some pain.

GINGER – the root can give a spicy flavor to fish dishes, and can add a piquant taste to salads and dips; as a medication, it can eliminate flatulence.

CHILI – it can make foods “hot” but can also strengthen the immune system; I eat not less than six pieces every meal.

BANANA – nobody can dispute the fact that it is a good source of potassium, and can relieve one of “loose bowel movement” or LBM.

GUAVA LEAVES – the tea made from boiling them removes bad breath aside from strengthening the gums; it has been accepted as an effective antiseptic and anti-bacterial. I prepare the tea in another kettle and drink at least 3 mugs every day, aside from the tea prepared from the boiled leaves of guyabano, mango and lemon grass.

GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES – I need not elaborate their importance; they are the manifestations of the vitamins that can be eaten; their fiber makes my bowel movement easy and comfortable.

If I want guyabano leaves, I just take a few steps to my backyard and pick a few from a drooping branch of my tree, and for the mango and guava leaves, I just ask from my neighbors for them. But the coffee, I buy from the grocery…

I invest on local fruits in season, as for the imported ones such as apples and pears I buy the blemished and old that come cheap and cook them in brown sugar and cinnamon powder into “apple sauce”.  I also buy green leafy vegetables in bulk to be half-cooked and apportioned in small containers, and keep in the freezer for scheduled use. Tomatoes that are cheap when in season, I douse with boiling water for easy peeling and stored in ref to be used when I cook pasta. The peeled tomatoes also go well with poor man’s salad that consist of onions, radish, raw pechay, shredded green papaya, chili and sprinkled with fish sauce (bagoong) or toasted dried anchovies (dilis) and vinegar. Those are my multi-vitamins served in plate and coffee mug…not in capsule or tablet, the non-soluble residues of which can get stuck and accumulated in the kidney and liver.

We Can Minimize, Delay, or Prevent the Devastating Effect of Diseases…discipline and patience are the keys

We Can Minimize, Delay, or Prevent the Devastating Effect of Diseases

…discipline and patience are the keys

By Apolinario Villalobos

Caring for our physical make up is our responsibility in the first place, and not somebody else’s. We can prevent diseases from pestering our body by espousing discipline and patience. We must be disciplined as regards our diet and vices. And, we must be disciplined in being consistent with the preparation of remedies not prescribed by doctors. We must not wait until a disease has set in before we toe the line in clinics for a costly diagnosis. Unfortunately for others, before they know that what they “feel” is a disease, and not just a fatigue or temporary pain, it is already beyond cure, so that the last resort for the doctor is to prescribe pain killing drugs, and loads of antibiotics and other strange sounding-named tablets and capsules.

Drugs are basically sourced from plants and enhanced with chemicals to preserve them as capsules, tables, suspensions, and injectibles. Curative properties of plants are “cloned” in laboratories to come up with their synthetic equivalent. But not all curative properties of plants can be cloned as in the case of guyabano (soursop), the information about which has been suppressed by drug laboratories for so many years. Due to their failure in cloning its curative properties, they finally let go of the information to confirm what have already been circulating anyway, about its anti-cancer substance.

Man since birth is already doomed with diseases that can manifest at certain points of his life. Fortunately, there is now a medical technique of predetermining the diseases that may befall infants by “reading” their genes at the time of birth with the use of their blood. At certain points of their life, diseases are already detected, thus, medications are already prescribed to prevent the onset. This is possible for those who will be born in hospitals and clinics, but for those in villages, this medical effort is not heard of, as in third-world countries like the Philippines. These children then grow without knowing that at a certain point of their life, they are bound to develop diabetes, rheumatism, heart failure, cancer, etc.

There’s again the problem with poor parents in urban areas who are told about the diseases that may befall their newly-born infants, because they cannot afford the prescribed drugs. Consequently, their children, though born in hospitals, grow just like those in the villages, without taking the preventive drugs for the detected diseases that may manifest at a certain age. Prescriptions are just set aside to be thrown later on.

The Philippines and the rest of countries in Asia and South America are profuse in herbal “medicines”.  Long before the western colonizers came, the natives were already thriving on these. The folk medicine men who are unfairly called “quack doctors” have been prescribing leaves, barks and roots of trees, vines and shrubs to dispel diseases. For instance, guyabano or soursop was first used by the South American Indians, particularly, those living in the jungles of the Amazon, while the use of tanglad or lemon grass was first used in Asia. In every country of these regions, there are always nooks and corners occupied by herbal vendors. In Manila, these can be found in Quiapo, while in the provinces, one can find them in public markets. But most of all, these curative plants are found in neighborhoods, or if not, can be planted just anywhere, even in pots.

Discipline is needed if one is really interested in preventing the onset of a disease. A ritual is involved, because every morning, all the necessary leaves, seeds or barks have to be boiled in a kettle dedicated for this purpose, followed by the preparation of the concoction to be drunk with coffee or as is. Most often, this simple effort is abhorred by most, as they would rather take synthetic drugs in capsule or tablet form which is a very convenient way. But then, the danger with such “convenience” is the latest finding that not all components of these drugs are dissolved, thus, turning into sediments that get deposited in the liver and kidney, eventually resulting to a disease that destroy the said organs.

Those without discipline in their diet are also easy victims of diseases. They are not satisfied with having tasted certain unhealthy foods and should have told themselves “enough”. Unfortunately, they want these to be part of their daily fare on the dining table. Parents who have this kind of attitude pass it on to their children, who will later on pass it on to their own, and so forth. And, when members of the family develop and die of diseases, they blame their ancestor!

Illegal Drugs and Poverty – the miseries of a society

Illegal Drugs and Poverty –

The Miseries of a Society

By Apolinario Villalobos

Illegal drugs and poverty are miseries of a society that breed corruption in a country’s government and erode the culture and virtues of its people. Illegal drug start its infection as a mere vice of the indolent portion of the population until it becomes an extreme psychological necessity for survival. On the other hand, poverty-stricken populace of a country gets controlled by corrupt government officials and politicians with the use of money…with such control driven by helplessness on the former. Worse yet, the money come from the coffer of the government in most cases.

In the Philippines, there are allegations that contingents of the New People’s Army based in the north have resorted to planting marijuana in hidden and almost inaccessible nooks of the cordilleras. In Mindanao, there are allegations, too, that the Abu Sayyaf Group uses drugs to lure the youth to expand their membership.

During the campaign period that precedes an election, buying of votes is no longer discussed discreetly. This corrupt practice of politicians has become a common subject among electorates, as to who among the candidates gives the highest bribe. The electoral trend has become a way of life of the people. Regrets of the people are like cycle, repetitive and without end, every time winning corrupt candidates assume office and begin to ransack the government coffer to recoup what have been spent during their campaign.

Narco-politics have already crept into the government system of other countries, especially, those in South America. Poverty has become the face of third world countries. And, corruption that has developed into the stinking fruit of the mentioned phenomena is ensuing seeds that are being sowed throughout the world, as shown by drug laboratories operated by Chinese in the Philippines. The phenomena have become universal with the use of different nationalities as drug mules or couriers that carry loads of drugs to unsuspecting countries.

The world is experiencing a tremendous metamorphosis in all aspects of development in such a fast phase, as if mankind is in hurry to commit a self-annihilation!