Anyone who has ever been to New York City has probably seen the golden Greek sculpture at the Rockefeller Center. Throughout the year he floats encircled by a ring based on some sort of a rock.
The sculpture is a magnificent representation of the Titan Prometheus who is given the mythical honor of stealing fire from the Gods. As punishment Zeus ordered that Prometheus be chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus where an eagle would come everyday to eat his liver.
Because Prometheus was immortal he would suffer the pain but would never die. Curiously, the liver is one of the rare human organs able to spontaneously regenerate.
It is said that Hercules son of Zeus eventually freed Prometheus who in turn captured the carnivorous eagle and ate his liver as revenge. After 12 generations of suffering, Zeus was obviously bored with punishing Prometheus. The only problem left was how to undo the sentence of eternal bondage to the rock on Mount Caucasus.
The solution explains the sculpture at the Rockefeller Center. Zeus gave Prometheus a ring that contained a piece of the rock which the fire thief wore for eternity.
I was reminded of the story in the context of someone stealing fire from someone. In this case it is the struggle between Sen. Mar Roxas versus Congressman Ferjenel Biron concerning their respective versions of the Cheap Medicines bill.
A couple of days ago, Biron once again made the fantastic claim that P1 billion was being spent to kill the Cheap Medicines bill.
But unlike his previous claims, Biron now avoids a congressional investigation by disclaiming that the fund is being used as direct bribes to legislators. Instead he claims that “it includes the expenses for aggressive advertisement on radio, television and newspapers”.
In his latest “press release” Biron has successfully presented himself as the incorruptible legislator being subjected to lobbying by the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines.
Biron claims: “I am hardly invited on talk shows to discuss the cheaper medicines bill. I would eventually learn that some television stations were told by the companies not to have me as a guest. Otherwise they would pull out their advertisements”.
Biron likewise promoted his version of the cheap medicines bill as a better and tougher bill because he names the medicines to be singled out for price reduction and because his bill features a provision for price regulation. Biron was even quoted as saying that the Roxas version which provides for parallel importations was useless because it would cover only 100 out of 40,000 registered drugs in the Philippines.
Like Prometheus, Biron presents himself as sympathetic to the Filipinos. But sadly it would seem that in his gallant effort to bring healing to the masses, Biron doesn’t mind stealing the fire from Sen. Mar Roxas who has long worked at finding solutions regarding the high prices of medicine.
Back to the time of the Estrada administration, Roxas who was then DTI Secretary already campaigned for cheaper medicines, a campaign that must have been supported by Philippine Pharma Wealth Inc., a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of generic medicines linked to a Ferjenel Biron before becoming the Congressman Biron.
Of course once he became congressman, Biron would have automatically divested his financial interests in the company, if any. But being human, one’s emotions remain tied to things we work for or labor with.
When the cheap medicines bill failed to pass in the 13th Congress, it was quite interesting that the congressmen blamed everybody particularly Mar Roxas and his version. Yet Biron and associates never admitted that they did not have a quorum.
Rather than giving credit where credit is due, Biron has consistently claimed his work to be better and his commitment purer. Perhaps they are, but one should also show his intentions to be likewise.
A check with the Intellectual Property Office reveals a legal complaint for damages and injunction against Philippine Pharma Wealth Inc. for patent infringement filed by Pfizer pharmaceuticals which Pfizer won.
It seems that Pfizer employees found out that Pharma Wealth had made bids to supply Sulbactam, an antibiotic which is protected under patent #21116 to various government hospitals such as San Lazaro, Baguio General, Davao Medical Center, etc.
This according to sources could explain why Congressman Biron singled out a lady in the gallery named Karen Villanueva during the 13th Congress to be led out of the hall because she worked for Pfizer during the time of the legal battle. Biron was even quoted as saying that only they the Pfizer executives were getting fat from pharmaceuticals.
Biron should be thankful for his legislative immunity, because Ms. Villanueva was no longer connected with Pfizer at the time he publicly humiliated her.
In a country where the term lobbying remains associated with corruption, is Congressman Biron so confident of public support that he would disregard the legal rights and reputation of people in the industry such as those engaged with the PHAP?
The tactics of insinuation and innuendo are frighteningly reminiscent of the time of US Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the witchhunt for so-called communists using paranoid scenario to gain popular support and publicity.
No matter how right our cause may be, it can never be right enough for us to trample the rights of others.
As a TV talk show host, I have never been restrained from interviewing any person on any subject matter. People have every right to assert their view, their position, even their concern. In a panic or out of fear, I know of one or two who resorted to intimidation, veiled threats, or calling in a higher authority.
At the end of the day journalists and broadcasters do their jobs as expected of them. For Congressman Biron to insinuate that TV anchors and hosts can be pressured to throw away balance and impartiality simply shows his ignorance of the prevailing policies and actual practice of ethical standards on television.
More than this, his words defile the ultimate sacrifice of journalists and broadcasters who are being maimed and murdered because of their integrity and courage.
The passing of laws pertains to order, to needs, solutions and logic. Like the blindfolded lady of Justice, our lawmakers must be impartial and if need be, blind to emotions and personal interests of others, but most specially theirs.