The View from Rizal (26 June 2011)

THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

Gov. Jun Ynares, M.D.

June 26, 2011

Great Dads

A lawyer-cousin introduced me to one of the country’s leading motivational speakers and trainers. Mr. Archie Inlong, according to my cousin, was doing research on “Fathers and Fatherhood” and had wanted to interview me.

I initially balked at the idea of giving my two-cents worth on such a complicated issue. I told my cousin that I am a young dad and may not be an authority on the subject matter. She assured me, however, that Archie was not focused on what I thought about how to be a good dad. Rather, he was interested on my being a son and a third-generation elected public servant. Well, that, I could handle.

I obliged Archie’s interview request because, among other things, he is a resident of Antipolo, Rizal. It is difficult for one to say “no” to a constituent. When I finally met him, I found out that the interview with the white-haired public speaking guru would be more of a treat than an ordeal. Archie had a fairly well laid out direction for what he needed to find out from me.

Archie asked me several questions but he obviously had a special interest on three key points.

First, was it planned by my father that I should follow in his footsteps vis-à-vis his political career (meaning, was I “forced” into my current job)?

Second, did my dad “condition” my mind so that I would be what I am today (which is someone who took on the same job he had)?

Third, did my dad teach me how to become what I am today (meaning, someone who is doing what he once was doing)?

Archie got the surprise of his life. To all the three important questions he asked, I answered “No! No! No!”

No, my dad never wanted me to get into politics. For the record, he initially had violent objections to my getting into politics. It almost became a major fight between him and me when I announced that I was not going into medical practice.

No, my father never spoke to me about becoming like him. He never discussed politics with me.

No, my father did not mentor me in order to prepare me for the job I have today.

I made the decision; everything was planned by me and was in accordance with my choices in life, I underscored.

Archie appeared stunned with my revelations. I asked him if he was disappointed with what he found out. I presumed he wanted to write a book or an article on the “Art of Raising Up a Political Successor.”

No, was Archie’s reply. That was not his intention. He said he was simply doing research on how third-generation public servants arrived at the decision to do what their grandfathers and dads did in their life. He said he was pleased to discover that my dad had actually not manipulated me to become what I am today.

Archie explained why. Jokingly, he said he wanted to challenge author Robert Kiyosaki’s concept of the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” “There must be a third category,” Archie told me. “What’s that,” I asked him. “In addition to a ‘poor dad’ and a ‘rich dad’, there must be a ‘great dad’,” Archie replied.

“It takes Kiyosaki’s ‘Rich Dad’ to make a good businessman out of his son,” Archie explained.

“But it requires a ‘Great Dad’ to raise a son who would choose a life of service to others,” he added.

I never heard much from Archie again after that interview. I presumed he was busy with his seminars and speaking engagements. But, last week, just before Father’s Day, I received a note from him thanking me for the interview.

I am taking the liberty to reproduce some sections of Archie’s note.

He wrote:

“That interview helped me dissect how ‘Great Dads’ raise their sons. Here are three important ways they do.

First, they pass on a mission, not a business. And if ever their sons inherit their business, that business would have a clear public service mission built into it.

Second, they encourage their sons to look for partners, not bosses. Or, if they ever get into employment, they soon get to make their bosses their partners. For sons of ‘Great Dads’, partnering with others for mission or business - or both - become the key to attaining life’s goals.

Third, ‘Great Dads’ inspire their sons to go after ‘fulfilment’ rather than plain ‘success’. ‘Great Dads’ know that obsession with ‘success’ could lead to frustration if not attained, or to a feeling of emptiness once it has been reached. The quest for ‘Fulfilment’, on the other hand, is sustainable and satisfies one at all phases of that quest.”

Archie said he had done interviews with other third-generation public servants and has turned his research into motivational seminars for dads who want to be not just “rich”, but also “great.”

I understand Church-based organizations have already booked him. He said he has integrated into his seminars a deep spiritual reflection on God as Father.

“After all, only a Dad as great as Him could produce the greatest Son of all,” Archie wrote in his note.

What could I say.

So, to all the dads out there, a belated Happy Father’s Day.

Be rich. Be great.

Note: Originally published in the Manila Bulletin June 26, 2011.

Bantayan ang Kalusugan, Baha ay Iwasan

Leptospirosis: Isang Mabigat na Dahilan Para Iwasan ang Tubig-Baha

Leptospirosis ay isang impeksyon na dulot ng bacteria na siya namang taglay ng mga hayop (kung ang dengue na virus ay taglay ng lamok, ang leptospirosis naman ay bacteria na taglay ng hayop). Sa Pilipinas, mga daga ang karaniwang may dala ng sakit na ito. Dahil napakaraming daga kahit saan, lalong lalo na sa mga syudad, tuwing bumabaha ay maaaring sumama rin sa tubig baha ang bacteria na galing sa daga. Ito rin ang dahilan kaya hindi kagulat-gulat na ang tag-ulan ay siya ring panahon na tag-leptospirosis.

Nung taon 2009, pagkaraan ng bagyong si Ondoy ay napakaraming tao sa Maynila at iba pang lugar na nagkaron ng leptospirosis.

Ano ang mga sintomas ng leptospirosis? Gaya ng dengue, maaaring makaramdam ng lagnat, panginginig, sakit sa katawan at mga kasukasuan, at sakit ng ulo. Maaari ring maapektuhan ang atay (liver) na siyang nagdudulot ng paninilaw sa katawan, maging ang bato (kidneys) na siya namang nagdudulot ng ihi na kulay tsaa. Maaari ring maranasan ang sakit sa tiyan, pagsusuka, at pagtatae.

May mga iba't ibang laboratory test para malaman kung mayroon kang leptospirosis. Isa ang leptospirosis sa konsiderasyon kapag ang mga sintomas na nabanggit natin ay nakita - lalong lalo na kung ang pasyente ay nakapaglakad sa tubig-baha.

Mga antibiotics ang gamot sa leptospirosis, ngunit dapat doktor ang siyang magrereseta nito. Hindi pwedeng bumili lamang ng gamot sa sari-sari store o botika; kinakailangang pag-isipan ng doktor kung gaanong karami at gaanong kadalas iinumin ang gamot. Kung kulangin, baka mabulabog lamang ang mga mikrobio at hindi tuluyang masupil. Kung magkaganito, maaaring silang makabawi at hindi na talaban pa ng gamot.

Higit na mabuti sa lunas ang pag-iwas. Para makaiwas sa leptospirosis, iwasan ang paglalakad sa tubig baha tuwing umuulan, lalong lalo na kung may mga sugat ka sa paanan na siyang maaring gawing tulay ng mga bacteria para makapasok. Maari ding magsuot ng mga bota o boots kapag hindi maiiwasang lumusong sa tubig-baha. Huwag maligo sa maruruming tubig, at gawan ng paraan na masupil ang pagpunta ng mga daga at iba pang hayop sa inyong tahanan.

Source:  http://www.kalusugan.ph/mga-sakit/60-leptospirosis.html

The View from Rizal (June 19, 2011)

THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

Gov. Jun Ynares, M.D.

June 19, 2011

“Disliking” Rizal

Today is the 150^th birthday of our national hero.

So, it is expected that it will be raining with praises and tribute for Dr. Jose Rizal today. As expected, there will be sermon-like calls to every living Filipino to follow Dr. Rizal’s example to be “always ready to die for one’s country”.

Unfortunately, that is a message that may not resonate with today’s young generation which is more focused on “living the life”. They are more obsessed with the excellence shown in the hard-court by the likes of Lebron and Dirk around who center their debates and disagreements. When one listens to their conversation, Dr. Rizal would be nothing more than another face on a peso bill or another figure on a lifeless statue.

I decided that instead of adding to the chorus of platitudes for the national hero today, I would ask young people why Dr. Rizal’s character and philosophy do not appear to have much appeal to their generation.

Here are some answers from young people born more than a century after the national hero’s first birthday.

1.      “He is such a nerd.” They are right. If Dr. Rizal belonged to today’s young generation, he would be cast as the school nerd. Reason: he had too much passion for learning. Historian Ambeth Ocampo once wrote that Dr. Rizal has listed down more than 2,000 books which he read, studied and consulted. Read 2,000 books? Today’s young generation would prefer to have 2,000 friends on Facebook. But reading 2,000 books may really just be too “nerdy” for comfort.

2.      “He is such a heartthrob.” That’s the other “bitter” reality. If Dr. Rizal belonged to today’s generation, he would be the “nerd who gets all the girls”. Historians may not have fully explained why Dr. Rizal appears to be so good at winning women. And, we are not just talking about the beauties who come from his hometown. It is a fact that Dr. Rizal loved and was loved by women from western countries and from our Asian neighbours.

The irony is that Dr. Rizal was not much of a “hunk” and definitely may not have qualified to be a billboard model for stone-washed jeans. But why did he “get all the girls” as the expression goes?  It appears that by today’s standard, Dr. Rizal would not fit into the category of “cool”. Neither would he be “hot”. He would just be plain “nerd”. But he would have gotten the “chicks” nevertheless.

3.      “He is such a mama’s boy.” This fact is beyond debate. Dr. Rizal’s closeness to his mother is a fact of history. Doña Teodora Alonzo figured prominently in Dr. Rizal’s life. Her ordeal in the hands of colonial authorities may have sparked much of the anger within Dr. Rizal’s heart. She may have also inspired much of the excellence within her son – yes, she was the lady whom Dr. Rizal, the ophthalmologist was treating in that famous photographic depiction.

What appears to really rile up the advocate of “cool” is the fact that Doña Teodora also figured prominently in Dr. Rizal’s last moments. If we got our historical facts right, she was supposed to have been there at Fort Santiago, hours before the fateful December execution day.

A nerd who gets all the girls and who’s also a mama’s boy. How “un-cool” by today’s standard.

4.      “He is such a meddler.” Everyone knows this. Dr. Rizal can’t “mind his own business”. He was also busy minding everyone else’s troubles. He hated it that everyone in his country lived under an “un-cool” government run by foreigners. You could see that his mind was bothered by the troubles of others when he wrote about the likes of Sisa, Crispin and Basilio in his book. Couldn’t he have written a nice love story instead? Couldn’t he have just worried about his own troubles instead?

If Dr. Rizal belonged to today’s young generation, his Facebook profile and blogsite would be described as “eeeww”. His postings would be on corruption in government or the plight of oppressed people or about the latest book he read. Un-cool. The preferred postings would be about “hangover”, “being single”, “liking the Mavs”, or “Boracay here I come”.

But tweeting on Thomas a Kempis’ book “Imitation of Christ”? Do I hear a loud “eeewww”?

5.      “He is such a loser.” Yup. True. Loser. He lost his life. His enemies put one over him. He got thrown out into a far-away place. They got him jailed with a bogus trial. Then they marched him down to Luneta and shot him in broad daylight. Yuck. Loser. Un-cool.

Nerd. Heartthrob. Mama’s boy. Meddler. Loser. Okay, fine.

But here’s the question. Why is it that despite the “un-coolness” of Dr. Rizal’s character, he remains the most revered Filipino personality even until today? His life and books are the most studied, and his profile – wavy hair and all – is the most familiar?

And why is it that he has a lot of places in the country named after him, including one of the country’s provinces? And why is it that when one thinks of the word “great”, the possibility is high that Dr. Rizal’s name would be mentioned in the same breath?

That’s a question I would leave today’s “cool” young generation to answer for themselves.

But let me venture a guess as to why it is so easy to “dislike” Dr. Rizal.

I guess, it’s because he challenges. He dares. Without saying it.

He dares others to read as many books as he had. To be as lovable as he was without trying too hard to be a “hunk”. To love one’s mother and be inspired by her to excel (most of us would rather quarrel with our moms to appear “cool”). To look outside of the four walls of one’s life and “meddle” in those of others (ergo, un-selfish).

And to have to ability to go beyond our fears and have the courage to be a “loser”, meaning one who is ready to “lose” one’s life for something bigger than earthly life.

When I feel I can’t live up to a dare, I just end up “disliking” the source of the challenge. That’s a normal human reaction. That’s preserving the ego.

Yup, Dr. Rizal “dares too much”, threatens our egos too much, makes us too uncomfortable.

He is “un-cool”, indeed.

Happy birthday to the greatest “nerd”, “heartthrob”, “mama’s boy”, and “meddler” who was ever born in our country.

And, “loser”, too. Lost his life for country and countrymen.

Go ahead. Say, “eeeewww”. I won’t.

Feedback: provinceofrizal@yahoo.com

Originally published in The Manila Bulletin (June 19, 2011)