Business-as-usual - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

Last Tuesday morning, 26 human lives were lost because of reckless drivers and "rolling coffins." There are simply too many reckless drivers in the country’s roads, streets and highways, and there are simply too many dilapidated, about-to-break-down vehicles on the thoroughfares that the loss of human lives from vehicular accidents has reached alarming and dramatic proportions.

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If you go through the newspaper columns I had written during the past two decades, you will notice my frequent reference to the many deaths and maiming of human bodies from collisions of vehicles or traffic accidents caused by "rolling coffins." In these columns, I had whaled away at the authorities concerned, prodding them to be more active in preventing these senseless, tragic accidents.

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Apparently, my articles have fallen on deaf ears. It remained "business-as-usual" insofar as transport authorities were concerned. In fact, the powers-that-be of various government administrations even indirectly participated in the proliferation of the "rolling coffin" business by authorizing the entry of foreign-made, second-hand, dilapidated vehicles, like trucks and buses, into our country.

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In the light of the tragic death of 26 persons last Monday, I wonder what the transport authorities are going to do. Will they continue with their meaningless rhetoric about doing this or that, but eventually end up doing nothing, after all the sound and fury from concerned citizens die down? There are clear signs this will happen, considering how enraged Filipinos so easily forgive and forget. And considering, too, the general mood of indifference and apathy among government officials whose main job it is to implement laws and regulations involving "rolling coffins" and reckless driving.

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My sixth sense tells me that the decision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to appoint retired Armed Forces Chief of Staff of the Philippines (AFP) Gen. Angelo Reyes as Secretary of National Defense was well-advised. My gut feeling is that General Reyes is the best man to hold the defense portfolio at this time of ferment and torment within the military establishment.

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Long before any President ever thought of appointing Angelo Reyes as AFP chief, I had – during my countless travels to Mindanao and Southern Philippines – heard about this legendary soldier. He has a reputation for honesty, integrity, courage, and other virtues and values that can only elicit praise and admiration. During the times I would be interacting with friends from Zamboanga City, for instance, at the coffee shop of Orchid Garden Hotel or at the seaside veranda at Lantaka Hotel, I would often hear of the heroic exploits of General Reyes.

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It was sad and unfortunate that, prior to his retirement as AFP chief of staff, General Reyes had to be enmeshed in internal politics in the military establishment. The fellow did not certainly deserve the brickbats that he got from intriguers and other people. I hope that, with his appointment last Monday by President Macapagal Arroyo as DND head, General Reyes will be given every opportunity to prove once more what he really is – an ideal Filipino citizen whose yen is genuine service to his fellowmen and his country.

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Thanks, and God bless the following individuals for sharing some of their blessings in life with their less fortunate fellowmen, through the Good Samaritan Foundation:

*Nitz Lapitan, P2,000 (Metrobank 0195672)

* An anonymous donor from Quezon City, P14,000 (Global 0001763)

* Dr. Augusto Sarmiento, P20,000

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In the meantime, the Good Samaritan Foundation lent a helping hand to the following indigent beneficiaries:

* 26-year-old Sheryl Rose Dira, who became a paraplegic after suffering a spinal cord injury in 1997, P4,000 for her physical therapy sessions at Excel Therapy Center, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

* Florencia Paraiso of Caloocan City, who is suffering from asthma, P1,100 for her medicine

* Wilson Dominguez, a student in Iriga City, P1,460 for his tuition fees

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It is heartwarming to know that there are true friends from across the seas who showed concern about my health. Look at Dr. Conrad Javier, Fil-Am physician who has long been based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, where he is a leading medical practitioner, but who makes it a point to visit his homeland every year. Everytime he and his wife, Aleli, return to the Philippines, they always bring back a heart pacemaker which they donate to hospitals for the use of indigent patients. And, of course, Dr. Javier, in memory of his father, also gives generous donations to local foundations and institutions devoted to helping the needy.

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When he learned about the surgery I went through, Dr. Javier went out of his way to get some very enlightening data from the Head of Cancer Statistics of the Cleveland Clinic. "Their most promising management in terms of longterm survival in cases similar to yours is radical neck dissection followed by prophylactic cervico-cranial irradiation," Conrad wrote to me through the Internet.

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"This is the manner in which your ’up-to-date’ doctors had planned for you, the ‘state of the art’ modern treatment. The majority of the Cleveland Clinic patients in the study had undergone complete remission eventually with few showing some ‘short-term cognitive dysfunction’ which was noted to be reversible in nature in the long run," Dr. Javier said. ‘So there you are, Art, in the best of care among the best doctors in the Philippines."

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Dr. Javier had a last advice: "Don’t forget the power of positive thinking with your prayers. May the Good Lord give you many more fruitful years ahead."

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Here are inspiring text messages I received from cellular phone texters who have made it a hobby to pass on morale-boosting words like the following:

Pray before going anywhere
And may God give u strength
2 fight ur daily battles!
God bless & take care!
Gud PM!

(from Jun-Jun Cruz)

Friendship is a gift that is fair in all things.
It roots from one’s heart
& involves memories that stay
not for a while but for a lifetime
Good morning!

(from Neil Ryan Torres Manait)

With trials… we grow stronger in faith,
With faith… we move closer to God,
With God… we can do all things.
Gud morning!

(from Lilia B. de la Pena)

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My e-mail address: <[email protected]>