World class and T.L.C - JAYWALKER

We now have a golden opportunity to teach a costly lesson to criminals who have been toying around with our country’s laws. By going after the brains of heinous crimes like the ghastly murder of Bubby Dacer, or by pursuing to the limit the plunder and anti-graft cases against former President Joseph Estrada, we might just be able to pound into the heads of potential lawbreakers that crime does not pay.

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Right now, many horrible crimes continue to be committed, and the crimes remain unsolved. Look at those beheaded boys whose headless bodies were found in Novaliches. Look at the rape-killing cases that hug the front pages of newspapers. Look at the mass slaughter of entire families that goes on unabated. Look at the drug addicts going on with their drug-pushing. Apparently, there is no fear of the law among the killers and criminal elements. Which explains why we are not moving forward in the anti-crime campaign.

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Go after the masterminds of bigtime crime, and bust the crime syndicates. Show no mercy in dealing with them. Allow them no space in doing their evil deeds. Only after the law-enforcers show that they are no paper tigers will they be able to intimidate and sow terror among the country’s criminal elements.

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The final phase of my medical treatment – a process that began last March 2 with a radical neck dissection surgery conducted by two of our country’s best surgeons, Dr. Augusto P. Sarmiento and Dr. Enrique Ona – was concluded last April 19 and 20, this time under the expert direction of Dr. Roberto Ramos, a renowned and leading radiation oncologist. The final treatment was called "brachytherapy" or the implanting of needles at my neck. Through these needles passed the radiation doses that were aimed with precision towards the remaining lymph nodes in my neck.

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Brachytherapy is a high-tech modern medical technology that can be availed of in only two hospitals in our country, one of them being the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. It was marvelous how Dr. Ramos and his team conducted my medical treatment, without leaving out any minute detail and with initial preparations conducted long before "Brachy-Day" on April 19. Truly, Dr. Ramos and his team proved that Filipino medical practitioners and technicians in the field of radiation technology are equal to the best in the United States and the world.

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Don’t think that brachytherapy is a simple process. It involves going through diagnostic and laboratory tests to find out if one’s heart, liver and other organs can withstand the implanting of needles and the radiation doses. And it can be done only by well-trained specialists like Dr. Ramos, his team of doctors, and radiation technicians.

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Let me acknowledge, with deep gratitude, the St. Luke’s doctors who handled my treatment: Dr. Roberto Ramos, Dr. Emmanuel Almazan (he was the one who implanted the four needles in my neck), Dr. Elsie Dimaano, Dr. Misael Cruz, Dr. Weck Ramirez, Dr. Luel Yukoka, and Dr. Isabelo Ongtengco Jr. And, of course, excellent and superb was the assistance given by the following radiation physicists and technicians who made up Dr. Ramos’ team: Raffy Solis, Julius Rojales, Edith Gutierrez, Jenny Estrera, Rommel Partolo, Ronie Santos, Tet Sapnio, and Albert Silverio.

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During my three-day confinement at St. Luke’s Medical Center, I found out why the hospital has gained the reputation of being the country’s "premier hospital." Not only does it have the best medical specialists in its roster; it also has the most modern medical equipment for varied fields of specialization. "WORLD CLASS TECHNOLOGY AND EXPERTISE IN CARING HANDS" – that is St. Luke’s well-earned reputation.

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But above all, there is something else special about St. Luke’s. It has something that is missing in many other hospitals: the ambience that can make getting well much easier. Friendliness, hospitality, cleanliness, "T.L.C." or tender loving care – these are just some of the things that persuade patients to go to St. Luke’s Medical Center whenever they feel blue or whenever they get sick.

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Let me thank, too, the following officials and personnel of St. Luke’s who went out of their way to assure that my confinement would be that pleasant: President & CEO Jose Ledesma, corporate relations and fund development manager Jennifer Lynne C. Fadrigo, director Josie Levosada, assistant executive director Lydia A. Cabigao, and the nurses assigned to Suite 532. Thanks a million, and God bless!

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Last Sunday, I featured the poem, Footprints in the Sand, and mentioned it was written by an anonymous author. Now comes a note from reader Raul D. Dioquino who says that the author is Margaret Fishback Powers, a native of Ontario, Canada, who now lives in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.

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According to Dioquino, there is a book explaining how Powers was inspired to write the poem. The book’s title is "The Making of Footprints," and it is reportedly available in local bookstores. And one interesting information from the book, said Dioquino, was the legal battle on who was the rightful owner of the poem. Well, whoever wrote Footprints, the poem is very inspiring.

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Here are some inspiring text messages that I got during the past several days:

The more u do unselfishly,
the more you live abundantly.
For it’s only what we give away
that enriches us from day 2 day.
Gud AM!

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Life’s a little sunshine, a little rain,
a little loss, a little gain,
a little happiness, a little pain,
not all sweet, not all sour,
now a weed, now a flower.
Gud AM!

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Don’t 4get 2 share
some of ur time 2 Jesus
coz He never hesitated
sharing His life for us!

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Have you ever realized
how generous God is?
Look at d Cross,
it’s a plus sign.
He always wants to add
blessings in ur life.

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