More on high medicine costs, CME

We have two readers who immediately sent their reactions on a recent column delving on the continuing high cost of medicines in the country ("painful scandalous medicine prices," Sept. 11, 2006). The first has requested anonymity. Below is what he sent.

"I completely agree with you with regards to the price of medicine. I would like to bring something even more mundane to your attention that is related to this subject: vitamins.

"Multivitamins like Centrum are priced at about P9 per piece. And yet, if you buy a 500-piece bottle in the US, the price of the same goes down to about P2 to P3 per piece! I don’t know how many times I’ve been in a drugstore, and some guy next to me orders three pieces of some branded multivitamin. The pricing is unconscionable.

"And while we’re on the topic of medicine prices, I may as well raise the topic of doctors. I have heard many doctors prescribe medicine and pooh-pooh the cost effect of their prescriptions to their patients. Well, it’s easy for them to belittle it because they’re not going to be the ones who will be paying for it.

"And yet, they (the doctors) are part of the reason why medicine is priced as it is. The high prices (which we the patients pay) go to the high-priced sales representatives, to the doctor’s freebies and samples, and to even the money that some doctors ask (for them to prescribe one brand over another).

"This cozy relationship between the pharmaceuticals and doctors needs to be broken."

Our next reader, Haydee Carlos, has this short piece that our readers might find worthwhile. Read on.

"I quite agree with your comments about the price of medicine in the Philippines. Here in Singapore, with the high standard of living, you can go to a neighborhood (government clinic) for say a simple case of flu or tonsillitis, and the doctor will give you paracetamol, antibiotic, or cough syrup, and you will pay as low as $25 (P800) including the doctor’s fee."

Using biodiesel

Finally, a few more updates from our biofuels enthusiast, Gerardo P. Baron, on his continued experiments and studies.

"After running a few more tests that included Homemade CME (HCME), coconut methyl ester continues to look like a new and viable Philippine product that the entire world can benefit from.

"CME should make every Filipino proud. We can export CME. It improves the performance of regular diesel by increasing fuel mileage, improving power and lowering emissions. Test results include:

"(1) Homemade biodiesel (HMBD) from used cooking oil is not compatible with CME. When comparing the two, do not use them together or one after the other as they degrade each other;

"(2) Our tests discovered that five-percent HMBD is needed to get the same performance as one percent CME. This makes HMBD more expensive and irrelevant. It will be dropped from the tests; and

"(3) One-percent CME blends (either commercially or home-made) give nine to 12-percent increase in mileage. This translates to about P0.32 savings per kilometer.

One percent still effective

"Original tests included HMBD only because mileage improvement claims of 10 to 12 percent using only one percent CME seemed unrealistic. This was considering that other biodiesels in the world use blends of five to 20 percent to get the same results.

"But the results show that one-percent CME can deliver on its claims. Even HCME replicated CME, proving that a mere one percent CME is better than other biodiesels, even those made elsewhere in the world.

"Diesel with one-percent CME is more expensive but it is actually cheaper to use than regular diesel because it gives more fuel mileage.

"Although long term effects of using CME are unknown, a one percent blend does not appear to be significantly detrimental. Only further tests will actually help detect any flaws or un-wanted effects. In the meantime, scientific studies show that CME is safe to use.

"It doesn’t seem much, but if more people (individuals, jeepneys, bus companies and trucking fleets) use one-percent CME for every one million kilometers logged, P320,000 will be saved. If this is done on a daily basis, P116 million will be saved annually.

"Please consider using one-percent CME even before it is mandated by law so we can begin saving money and breathing cleaner air. We can’t tell the world to use CME unless we ourselves use it!

"Compared to other fuel-saving options, CME biodiesel does not require engine modifications or major expenses. You don’t even need technical assistance. You can perform the test easily and inexpensively.

Using biogas

"Biogas is another biofuel like biodiesel that can be made locally. Biogas is produced by decomposing wastes like pig manure. When collected so that it does not escape into the atmosphere (since it is a potent greenhouse gas), biogas can be used to produce vast amounts of cheap electricity.

"It may also qualify as a CDM (clean development mechanism) project entitled to financial incentives provided by the Kyoto Protocol for helping prevent global warming. Inquire at [email protected] for biogas-to-electricity systems or to get free plans for a Home Biogas System.

"I must mention biogas again because as a greenhouse gas that is escaping in huge quantities into the atmosphere, and a culprit for global warming, we should not overlook turning this worthless waste into something useful and environmentally friendly."

Pagcor partnership promoting poker

The game of poker has been played in the country for many years, and is probably one of the games taught by the Americans when they came. I personally was taught by my father and have been playing the game at least once a week with my poker buddies for the past almost 20 years. After a round of golf on a Saturday, a five-hour poker session either at home or at Valley Verde Country Club or at any sports club card room was my best elixir after a work-week in the corporate and business world.

After my retirement from the rigors of corporate life (at Pilipinas Shell), we – my brother Butch Gamboa and our poker buddies – formed the Poker Club of the Philippines, a non-profit corporate entity to promote poker as a mind game worthy of sports competition. The approach was to organize poker tournaments, similar to golf, chess, badminton competitions, and to reward and discover talents in the game.

Non-wager skills tournaments

In 2005, Poker Club of the Philippines and Pagcor, being the country’s gaming authority, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to promote and jointly develop poker through non-wager skills tournaments nationwide. This partnership was renewed in 2006 when the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT) successfully conducted the first Million-peso Hold’em Philippine Championship at Airport Casino Filipino Paranaque in April.

This was followed by the ongoing 2nd Million-peso Hold’em Philippine Championship to be held on 16th to 17th December 2006 at Casino Filipino Pavilion, Manila. These quality high-profile competitions definitely made poker, particularly the Hold’em game, very popular.

Those interested for more details on how to join these satellite/qualifying tournaments to qualify to the grand finals on 16th to 17th December 2006 may visit www.PhilippinePokerTour.com <http://www.philippinepokertour.com/> or call the PPT secretariat (c/o Cindy) at 817-9092 or 812-0153.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected] or at [email protected]. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://bizlinks.linkedge.biz