Mas o' menos del SONA

As usual, the State of the Nation Address (SONA) received mixed reviews, with people either praising President Noy or disparaging his report to the nation depending on which side you’re on. For the next few days, people will continue to read about what P-Noy mentioned or did not mention (in Spanish, “mas o’ menos”) the number of times P-Noy was applauded, how many minutes the speech took, who designed whose gown or barong (as the fashionable question now seems to be “Who are you wearing?”), the protesters and their effigies and all other attendant fact and trivia.

At the end of the day, people must give the President credit for being able to show that he continues to be on track, at least as far as his promise on going after corruption is concerned. The growing focus on infrastructure projects most especially with regard to the DOTC is also a welcome development since these projects (like improvement or construction of airports) will spur more growth in the regions. 

A good gauge on how the President is doing would be the reaction from the foreign chambers, and so far, the reviews and feedback have been rather positive, with foreign investors saying they are convinced that the President really meant it when he said he would level the playing field. More importantly, there is now an assurance that there are no sacred cows in this administration, since a big complaint among businessmen (foreign and local alike) is the “cost” that corruption inflicts on their businesses.

COPD burden

The demise of “Comedy King” Dolphy has made people curious about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the condition that the comedian had suffered from for almost eight years. A landmark survey called EPIC Asia (Epidemiology and Impact of COPD in Asia) conducted by pharmaceutical company Takeda with 112,000 households screened in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and several others revealed disturbing results.

COPD is a progressive and deadly lung disease resulting in difficulty in breathing, with smoking attributed as one of the major causes of the condition. Those who have COPD can suffer so-called lung attacks that could lead to death if not managed properly. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 65 million people have been diagnosed with moderate to severe COPD. Currently, it is the 5^th leading cause of death worldwide but it could move up to 3^rd by 2030.

According to the EPIC Asia survey, 62 percent of respondents from the Philippines missed out on work due to their condition, with 34 percent suffering a lung attack in the last 12 months. We’ve been told however that a new drug known as roflumilast (indicated for the maintenance of those suffering from severe COPD) could help reduce the risk or frequency of lung attacks. Heavy smokers should seriously think about COPD and its consequences.

Spy tidbits

–– The Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) successfully unveiled its new logo during the Defense and Sporting Arms Show at SM Megamall with PNP chief Nick Bartolome in attendance. Lately, there has been a renewed surge of interest in Armscor after the very successful Bolo Tuason Cup at the Armscor Firing Range in Marikina. Gun enthusiasts crowded the booths of Armscor and queued for the autographs of world champions Eric Grauffel and Simon “JJ” Racaza, who respectively gave presentations on the Tanfoglio and the Caracal, two of the popular brands carried by Armscor.

Eric happens to be the five-time IPSC World Shoot Champion while United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) champ JJ is a Fil-Am who we were told is the only Asian (and Filipino) with the US Department of Homeland Security. The Cebu-born JJ reportedly teaches shooting to members of various agencies including the US Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives, the Coast Guard and even the Secret Service.

–– Malacañang’s Chief Protocol Officer Señor Miguel Perez Rubio has been prevailed upon by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario to defer his retirement until the end of this year. Señor Miguel, who was earlier diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer but is now well, volunteered to be President Noy’s chief protocol officer for a princely compensation of P1 per year – has done very well in his job. Señor Miguel has promised to write a book about the “mother and son” presidency of the late president Cory Aquino and her son Noynoy – and his impending retirement will surely give him all the time he needs to work on his interesting insight on the Aquino 1 & 2 presidencies.

–– My former Ateneo classmate Rico Agcaoili sent me an email paying tribute to his late father Mariano “Naning” Agcaoili whose centenary was celebrated last Sunday. Rico comes from a family of lawyers, with his father Naning distinguishing himself as a judge, having been appointed to the Court of First Instance in Cabanatuan in 1967 until his promotion as Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals in 1974. Prior to that, Justice Agcaoili was involved in politics, having started as a councilor in Lucena sometime in the early 1940s, and was elected member of the Interim Batansang Pambansa representing the province of Quezon in 1978.

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