Coco’s ‘pamana’ from Susan Roces

by Tessa Mauricio-arriola ManilaTimes.net

STOP any Filipino on the street and say the words, “Pag kailangan ng gamot,” ten to one — no matter the age — that person will burst out singing, “Wag mahihiyang magtanong...”

[All together now] “Kung may RiteMed ba nito? May RiteMed ba nito?”

Lyrics to the jingle of the country’s most affordable pharmaceutical line, the catchy ditty is very much ingrained in local pop culture and permanently so with its original singer — the late but forever beloved Queen of Philippine Movies, Ms. Susan Roces.

The beautiful, talented and famously kind-hearted Tita Susan quietly passed on last year on May 20 at age 80. Spared from a lingering illness, she succumbed to cardiac arrest only a day after being hospitalized for chest pain and difficulty breathing. Wife of the late and legendary Fernando Poe. Jr. — the king to her queen — she is survived by her daughter Sen. Grace Poe Llamanzares, and her brood in real life.

In show business and more so in the eyes of the public, Tita Susan is also survived by the day’s reigning King of Philippine Prime Time TV, Coco Martin. To him, her loss is as heartbreaking as real life, tightly bonded as Cardo and Lola Flor on and offcam, thanks to the longestrunning series on TV, “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.”

Perpetually humble despite all his success — a significant part perhaps owed to “Lola Flor’s” wisdom and guidance — Coco will never assume he has the right to any legacy Tita Susan had built and left behind, despite their closeness.

Case in point, on a very special day last Monday, Coco, still mourning Ms. Susan’s death, recalled how he — just like every motorist or passenger whizzing by the Quiapo area — wondered in longing whose face would eventually replace the veteran actress’ picture with the famous RiteMed checkmark on the billboard that seemed to be hers forever.

“Palaisipan sa akin kung sino ba ang papalit sa kanya?

YOUR TANONG, MY SAGOT IN LAS VEGAS PART 2. Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel answers immigration questions from Kapamilya at the Radiant Spa in Las Vegas in the second installment of “Your Tanong, My Sagot.” Among the questions Atty. Gurfinkel answers are – From Rowena (top left): What are the requirements and how long will it take to petition a housekeeper from the Philippines?; From Cora (top right): I am a green card holder. Is it better if I become a U.S. citizen first before I petition my six siblings in the Philippines?; From Roland (bottom right): Can my wife petition her half-brother?; From Jessica (bottom left center): My siblings are already Documentarily Qualified, and we are just waiting for an interview date at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Why is it taking so long? Watch Part 2 of “Your Tanong, My Sagot” at the Radiant Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, February 12 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM Eastern Time) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. (Advertising Supplement)

OSA hazardous

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)

“recommends the use of home sleep apnea testing or polysomnography for adults with daytime sleepiness or unrefreshing sleep, or other signs and symptoms that raise suspicion of moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).”

OSA is a condition where a person involuntarily holds his breath for a prolonged period of time (a dozen or hundred times) while asleep, resulting in low blood oxygen level, depriving vital organs of essential oxygen. OSA increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. About 80 percent of these individuals do not even know they have OSA.

The incidence of OSA around the world is about 936 million – 22 million in the United States, and about 4 million in the Philippines. In the U.S., OSA is estimated to be at 27 percent among men and about 16 percent among women. Obesity is a factor. Undiagnosed OSA is dangerous to health.

Whether snoring or not, if you usually have unrestful sleep, tired when you wake up and feeling “blah” or fatigued by early to mid-afternoon, consult with your physician, who would evaluate you and possibly refer you to a Pulmonologist-Sleep expert for a sleep study or home sleep apnea (self) testing.

Lessons from COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. As of February 4, the average daily infection rate was 40,680, average daily death rate of 458 (a day!), average hospitalization rate at 30,815, and 10 percent positivity testing rate, according to the New York Times tracker.

The current dominant subvariant, responsible for most COVID-19 infections is XBB.1.5, causing 66 percent of the cases, followed by the BQ.1.1, 20 percent. The original omicron variant is gone, leaving its subvariants: XBB.1., BQ.1., and BQ.1.

With the arrogant posture and carelessness of a number of politicians and some people inspiring society to lower its guard, COVID-19 will linger with us for an unforeseen future.

As long as we, as a nation and as a people, refuse to adhere strictly to science and the principles epidemiology in dealing with infectious diseases like COVID-19, and are willing to temporarily give up some civil liberties like the right to choose in order to save lives, we will never be ready and prepared for any future epidemic or pandemic.

We have had more than a million lives lost to COVID-19 in the United States. If the government and our people continue to do the same in the next killer infectious disease we may encounter, and not learn from our COVID-19 experience, many more millions will die, and the U.S. economy may not survive (to recover) the next time around.

Recent studies have shown that those in health care (physicians, nurses, techs, aides, etc.) have a significantly lower COVID infection rate, hospitalization, and deaths, compared to the general population.

“Obviously, some of this is due to higher income, access to care, and other socioeconomic factors, but it’s also likely much of this protection came from workplace policies, such as use of personal protective equipment, vaccination requirements, infection prevention protocols, and other protective measures.” reported Mathew Kiang, ScD, MPH, of Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues, in MedPageToday.

Indeed, personal hygiene, masking distancing, and especially vaccination, are effective in preventing infections and deaths, even with the current XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 subvariants.

Life is precious, and we’ve got only one. Let’s not play Russian Roulette with it.

All countries are “dangerously unprepared for future pandemics,” according to a report in Geneva (Reuters) by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) published on recently, “calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end.” The COVID pandemic has so far killed more people than any earthquake, drought or hurricane in history, says the IFRC in its World Disaster Report 2022.

In the United States, the main problem is the conflict between strict implementation of the evidence-based long-proven epidemiologic protocol in fighting infectious disease and the constitutional rights of the people, who are invoking the freedom to choose (not to use mask, not to social distance, not to get the vaccines) and co-mingle with the rest of the population, many with subclinical COVID-19 or viral carriers, spreading the viruses to others.

Strictly speaking, to prevent transmission and save lives, the medical protocol calls for separation of those who have been vaccinated, those wearing masks and doing social distancing, those who are not carriers or infected FROM those refusing the above mitigation measures and demanding to have the freedom to choose what “to do with my own body,” as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Since the physical (geographical) separation of these two groups are not realistic, practical, nor feasible, the only option are federal mandates for these mitigating measures, especially vaccination. Those who refuse should stay home and not mingle with the rest of society until the pandemic is contained. This is an epidemiologic protocol to follow if we are to prevent the death of a million or more people. We must be understanding and compassionate enough to agree to temporarily waive our civil rights and follow the mandates to help save lives.

Of course, I am talking strictly medical and scientific here (no politics), highlighting the same principles and practices in infection wards in all medical centers around the world, [which is] strict isolation. Unless we are willing to do this constitutional sacrifice and implement strict epidemiologic protocols, our efforts in our war against any infectious disease in the future will certainly fail (as we did with COVID-19) to prevent a million deaths or greater. Doing the same and expecting a better result is certainly being foolish, if not stupid, to say the least. * * *

The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve

Carla not giving up on love despite regret in marrying Tom

By HannaH Mallorca Inquirer.net

CARLA Abellana might have just been through a painful separation from exhusband Tom Rodriguez but she remains hopeful that she will meet the love of her life at the right time.

where she opened up about her thoughts on romance after her failed marriage, as well as answering questions about her former partner. The topic was brought up by Alonzo after she asked Abellana if she would ever fall in love the same way she loved Rodriguez.