My back aches and my knees wobble as I limp back to my personal jungle in a bunker somewhere in the deserts of the Arabian Gulf.
A small amber bottle of Colchicine is parked on my desk, flanked by a cheap mug, a Sherlock Holmes-like magnifier and my baby Andre's B-daman. The med standing by in case my uric acid unexpectedly shoots up.
When I first came to Dubai, I only pop a caplet of Enervon C. After seeing my doctor last December, my pillbox menu now includes Colchicine (an anti-gout drug), Allopurinol (to flush out excess uric acid), Lipitor -- Pfizer's best-seller -- (to lower my cholesterol level) and Metformin -- which Doc Europa said was meant to help me slim down. Later I'd found out that this is an anti-diabetes drug.
I still blame the poor quality of water that comes out from the tap for the brittleness of my hair, which has turned salt and pepperish -- highlights as others describe it -- after spending (some say, wasting) over two and half years in this part of the world.
About a year ago, I was flabbergasted when a former colleague, who was in her 20s, didn't have an idea what the hell is Tears for Fears when she asked me what's playing on my iPod. I even had to tell another that Spandau Ballet doesn't have anything to do with Swan Lake or The Nutcracker.
Not to be outdone, I nearly dropped dead laughing when the same pa-cutesy (read: tanga) 20-something thought that Bananarama was a concoction at Baskin-Robbins.
Geez, the icons of my youth gone and forgotten -- and terribly recalled by today's youngsters!
When Ara and Aia asked me to let them watch the Fall Out Boy concert, my memory bank retrieved images of Lee Majors, who became the Fall Guy after making a successful run as the Six Million Dollar Man.
I see my presumptuous, eternally youthful "friends" snickering.
The reason behind these LOL moments suddenly got rammed into my face when my high school batchmate Joel Valencia forwarded a mail to our Yahoogroup which had the title of this entry.
"Tumatanda ka na, Batch!!!"
Ka-boom...aaargh! Reality bites!
Am I really getting that old? Have I already graduated into the Jurassic list?
I'll be clocking the last year of my third decade of existence in a few weeks' time and I'm still on denial mode that soon, I'll be joining the age of the "Life Beginners".
But come to think of it, hindi lang naman ako ang tumatanda.
My mom -- the heartthrob of her generation -- turned 70 last May.
My Tito Pito, who was the macho guwapito during his prime, has turned silver and gray.
My Ate Marichi -- the eldest among my first cousins -- is now a lola.
Some nephews and nieces whom I used to carry in my arms have either joined the work force or are about to get their rolled up cartolinas for the last time.
From wearing booties, my Ara is now going to school in stilletos. I dropped a tear when Mara texted me that my baby girl Aia is "dalaga na" and "Dadoy" Andre now has a love interest in school.
Life goes on.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus was right -- change is central to the universe.
"Everything flows, nothing stands still. Nothing endures but change."
And here's what Joel had sent me ...
Tumatanda ka na, Batch!!! (author unknown)
Nasa Friday Magic Madness na yung mga paborito mong kanta.
Nakaka-relate ka na sa Classic MTV.
Lesbiana na yung kinaaaliwan mong child star dati.
Nanay na lagi ang role ng crush na crush mong matinee idol noon.
Dati, pag may panot, sisigaw ka agad ng "PENDONG!".Ngayon, pag may sumisigaw nun, ikaw na yung napapraning.
Parang botika na ang cabinet mo. May multivitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C, royal jelly, tsaka ginko biloba.
Dati, laging may inuman. Sa inuman, may lechon, sisig, kaldereta, inihaw na liempo, pusit, at kung anu-ano pa. Ngayon, nagkukumpulan na lang kayo ng mga kasama mo sa Starbucks at oorder ng tea.
Wala na ang mga kaibigan mo noon. Ang dating masasayang tawanan ng barkada sa canteen,napalitan na ng walang katapusang pagrereklamo tungkol sa kumpanya ninyo.
Wala na ang best friend mo na lagi mong pinupuntahan kapag may problema ka. Ang lagi mo na lang kausap ngayon e ang kaopisina mong hindi ka sigurado kung binebenta ka sa iba pag nakatalikod ka. Ang hirap nang magtiwala!
Mahirap nang makahanap ng totoong kaibigan. Hindi mo kayang pagkatiwalaan ang kasama mo araw-araw sa opisina. Kung sabagay, nagkakilala lang kayo dahil gusto ninyong kumita ng pera at umakyat sa tinatawag nilang "corporate ladder".
Anumang pagkakaibigang umusbong galing sa pera at ambisyon ay hindi talaga totoong pagkakaibigan. Pera din at ambisyon ang sisira sa inyong dalawa.
Pera na ang nagpapatakbo ng buhay mo.
Alipin ka na ng Meralco, PLDT, SkyCable, Globe, Smart, at Sun.
Alipin ka ng Midnight Madness.
Alipin ka ng tollgate sa expressway.
Alipin ka ng credit card mo.
Alipin ka ng ATM. Alipin ka ng BIR.
Dati-rati masaya ka na sa isang platong instant pancit canton. Ngayon, dapat may kasamang Italian chicken ang fettucine alfredo mo..
Masaya ka na noon pag nakakapag-ober- da-bakod kayo para makapag--swimming. Ngayon, ayaw mong lumangoy kung hindi Boracay o Puerto Galera ang lugar.
Dati, sulit na sulit na sa yo ang gin pomelo. Ngayon, pagkatapos ng ilang bote ng red wine, maghahanap ka ng San Mig Light o Vodka Cruiser.
Wala ka nang magawa. Sumasabay ang lifestyle mo sa income mo.
Nagtataka ka kung bakit hindi ka pa rin nakakaipon kahit tumataas ang sweldo mo. Yung mga bagay na gusto mong bilhin dati na sinasabi mong hindi mo kailangan, abot-kamay mo na.
Pero kahit nasa iyo na ang mga gusto mong bilhin, hindi ka pa rin makuntento. Saan ka ba papunta?
Friend, gumising ka.
Hindi ka nabuhay sa mundong ito para maging isa lang sa mga baterya ng mga machines sa Matrix.
Hanapin mo ang dahilan kung bakit nilagay ka rito.
Kung ang buhay mo ngayon ay uulit-ulit lang hanggang maging singkwenta anyos ka na, magsisisi ka.
Lumingon ka kung paano ka nagsimula, isipin ang mga tao at mga bagay na nagpasaya sa yo.
Balikan mo sila.
Ikaw ang nagbago, hindi ang mundo.
Showing posts with label Mara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mara. Show all posts
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Too many nurses!
I wuz proven right!
In my earlier entry, I snorted about the situation of nurses in the Philippines and I based it on Mara's experience.
My rants are now backed with hard stats and industry stalwarts even serve as "talking heads" validating the issues I raised.
Again, I give way to my former Chronicle boss, Boo Chanco, who zeroed in on the issue in his Philippine Star column.
Read on . . .
Now we have too many nurses
DEMAND AND SUPPLY
By Boo Chanco
Monday, April 7, 2008 (Philippine Star)
Guess what… we now have too many nurses. According to published reports, Dr. Josefina Tuazon, University of the Philippines College of Nursing Dean, said we have so many nurses so that many fresh graduates are now opting to work in some local hospitals as volunteers… for free.
I can believe that. That happened too with physical therapists, once a popular course because of the foreign job possibilities. I was shocked when some of the physical therapists from a leading hospital (who worked on the rehab program for my aching back some years ago) told me they are working for free… as volunteers.
Now it is the nurses’ turn. Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) National President Leah Paquiz was also reported to have disclosed that the United States, home to almost 250,000 Filipino nurses, stopped issuing work visas this year because the quota requirement for migrant workers has already been reached. There were 21,000 Filipino nurses seeking employment in the US in 2007.
Dr. Tuazon and Paquiz agree that the oversupply of nurses is fast becoming a serious problem for the country. Yet, local nursing schools, many of them nothing more than diploma mills, continue to graduate thousands of nurses every year.
The situation is also being aggravated by government’s move to “ladderize” nursing education so that thousands more can “graduate” as so called practical nurses. Practical Nursing is a two-year course that focuses on the basics of nursing.
“There is no local demand or positions for practical nurses within the Philippine Health Care Delivery system particularly in the light of the oversupply of nurses and subsequent unemployment of graduate nurses,” PNA’s Paquiz emphasized.
In a sense, all those schools that have mushroomed in the country overnight promising overseas employment for graduates of this two-year non-degree course are really just scamming hopeful parents and students of their hard-earned (or borrowed) money.
Paquiz said the promise of work abroad is not true as foreign employers prefer the four-year college-degree nurses who passed the Licensure Board Exams.
This is why the PNA had asked the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to put a stop to this Practical Nursing program.
The PNA “strongly objects to the institution of the Practical Nursing program and vehemently rejects the proposed ladderization of the nursing curriculum,” a PNA statement said.
Our people must now be told that taking up nursing is no longer a foolproof means of getting out of this country to earn enough for a better life.
If what the nursing dean is saying is true, a nursing diploma has now become a kind of “fool’s gold” that can only disappoint for those who want a quick ticket out of our country’s poverty.
This is more reason why government, through CHED, must cut the number of nursing schools by enforcing tough quality standards on the nursing schools that are allowed to operate.
As of June last year, a staggering total of 632,108 students were enrolled in more than 400 Philippine nursing schools, up 30 percent or 145,875 from the 486,233 enlisted in 2006.
TUCP spokesperson Alex Aguilar urged regulators to “be extra vigilant, and see to it that nursing students are kept away from substandard schools.”
Aguilar urged the CHED to step up the policing of nursing schools nationwide to protect parents and students from the so-called “diploma mills.”
“We must stress that regulators are duty-bound to safeguard the hopes of tens of thousands of Filipino families to produce a nurse who will eventually lead them to greener pasture,” Aguilar said.
CHED’s failure to protect parents and students from substandard nursing schools had also been criticized by the Commission on Audit (COA).
In a report to acting CHED Chair Romulo Neri, the COA said it was necessary for CHED to exercise its regulatory function to “maintain and protect standards set to ensure the quality of nursing graduates.”
Fat chance that’s going to happen! CHED had been totally remiss in its duty to regulate nursing schools. We only have to look at the results of the licensure examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission for proof.
In that controversial nursing examination in 2006, 42,000 took the exam on June 11 and 12 but ONLY 42 percent passed, despite the leakage.
According to COA, “from 2001 to 2005, only 111 of 263 nursing schools nationwide managed to have 50 percent of their nursing graduates pass the licensure examinations. Worse, at least 19 or 7.22 percent of these schools had failed to pass even a single student,” said the COA.
The COA also pointed out that in the last 10 years, not a single nursing school whose graduates fared badly in PRC exams had been closed by the CHED.
The failure of CHED to perform its function is also affecting the professional reputation of Filipino nurses.
In a sense, CHED is destroying our brand. COA made a very apt observation: nursing schools with poor quality nursing education continue to proliferate and consequently affect the global competitiveness of Filipino nurses in the eyes of employers in America, Europe and the Middle East.
The Philippine Nurses Association in America (PNAA) had issued a statement expressing its concern on just this point. It said it wants to be able to assure the people of America that there is quality nursing education in the Philippines but there is evidence that our nursing graduates, the greater majority produced are not passing our own licensure tests. It is a national embarrassment.
Now that there is already an oversupply of nurses, this popular strategy of becoming a nurse to escape poverty may no longer be viable. #
Postscript -- Over two months after Mara started her frantic search for a nursing position, she's still jobless and so are her batchmates who are now joined by the thousands who passed the December 2007 licensure exam. Tens of thousands more are set to join the ranks of the unemployed now that the graduation season is over.
We were initially "encouraging" our daughter Ara to take up nursing, but with the way things are going, I'm now inclined to stand down.
In my earlier entry, I snorted about the situation of nurses in the Philippines and I based it on Mara's experience.
My rants are now backed with hard stats and industry stalwarts even serve as "talking heads" validating the issues I raised.
Again, I give way to my former Chronicle boss, Boo Chanco, who zeroed in on the issue in his Philippine Star column.
Read on . . .
Now we have too many nurses
DEMAND AND SUPPLY
By Boo Chanco
Monday, April 7, 2008 (Philippine Star)
Guess what… we now have too many nurses. According to published reports, Dr. Josefina Tuazon, University of the Philippines College of Nursing Dean, said we have so many nurses so that many fresh graduates are now opting to work in some local hospitals as volunteers… for free.
I can believe that. That happened too with physical therapists, once a popular course because of the foreign job possibilities. I was shocked when some of the physical therapists from a leading hospital (who worked on the rehab program for my aching back some years ago) told me they are working for free… as volunteers.
Now it is the nurses’ turn. Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) National President Leah Paquiz was also reported to have disclosed that the United States, home to almost 250,000 Filipino nurses, stopped issuing work visas this year because the quota requirement for migrant workers has already been reached. There were 21,000 Filipino nurses seeking employment in the US in 2007.
Dr. Tuazon and Paquiz agree that the oversupply of nurses is fast becoming a serious problem for the country. Yet, local nursing schools, many of them nothing more than diploma mills, continue to graduate thousands of nurses every year.
The situation is also being aggravated by government’s move to “ladderize” nursing education so that thousands more can “graduate” as so called practical nurses. Practical Nursing is a two-year course that focuses on the basics of nursing.
“There is no local demand or positions for practical nurses within the Philippine Health Care Delivery system particularly in the light of the oversupply of nurses and subsequent unemployment of graduate nurses,” PNA’s Paquiz emphasized.
In a sense, all those schools that have mushroomed in the country overnight promising overseas employment for graduates of this two-year non-degree course are really just scamming hopeful parents and students of their hard-earned (or borrowed) money.
Paquiz said the promise of work abroad is not true as foreign employers prefer the four-year college-degree nurses who passed the Licensure Board Exams.
This is why the PNA had asked the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to put a stop to this Practical Nursing program.
The PNA “strongly objects to the institution of the Practical Nursing program and vehemently rejects the proposed ladderization of the nursing curriculum,” a PNA statement said.
Our people must now be told that taking up nursing is no longer a foolproof means of getting out of this country to earn enough for a better life.
If what the nursing dean is saying is true, a nursing diploma has now become a kind of “fool’s gold” that can only disappoint for those who want a quick ticket out of our country’s poverty.
This is more reason why government, through CHED, must cut the number of nursing schools by enforcing tough quality standards on the nursing schools that are allowed to operate.
As of June last year, a staggering total of 632,108 students were enrolled in more than 400 Philippine nursing schools, up 30 percent or 145,875 from the 486,233 enlisted in 2006.
TUCP spokesperson Alex Aguilar urged regulators to “be extra vigilant, and see to it that nursing students are kept away from substandard schools.”
Aguilar urged the CHED to step up the policing of nursing schools nationwide to protect parents and students from the so-called “diploma mills.”
“We must stress that regulators are duty-bound to safeguard the hopes of tens of thousands of Filipino families to produce a nurse who will eventually lead them to greener pasture,” Aguilar said.
CHED’s failure to protect parents and students from substandard nursing schools had also been criticized by the Commission on Audit (COA).
In a report to acting CHED Chair Romulo Neri, the COA said it was necessary for CHED to exercise its regulatory function to “maintain and protect standards set to ensure the quality of nursing graduates.”
Fat chance that’s going to happen! CHED had been totally remiss in its duty to regulate nursing schools. We only have to look at the results of the licensure examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission for proof.
In that controversial nursing examination in 2006, 42,000 took the exam on June 11 and 12 but ONLY 42 percent passed, despite the leakage.
According to COA, “from 2001 to 2005, only 111 of 263 nursing schools nationwide managed to have 50 percent of their nursing graduates pass the licensure examinations. Worse, at least 19 or 7.22 percent of these schools had failed to pass even a single student,” said the COA.
The COA also pointed out that in the last 10 years, not a single nursing school whose graduates fared badly in PRC exams had been closed by the CHED.
The failure of CHED to perform its function is also affecting the professional reputation of Filipino nurses.
In a sense, CHED is destroying our brand. COA made a very apt observation: nursing schools with poor quality nursing education continue to proliferate and consequently affect the global competitiveness of Filipino nurses in the eyes of employers in America, Europe and the Middle East.
The Philippine Nurses Association in America (PNAA) had issued a statement expressing its concern on just this point. It said it wants to be able to assure the people of America that there is quality nursing education in the Philippines but there is evidence that our nursing graduates, the greater majority produced are not passing our own licensure tests. It is a national embarrassment.
Now that there is already an oversupply of nurses, this popular strategy of becoming a nurse to escape poverty may no longer be viable. #
Postscript -- Over two months after Mara started her frantic search for a nursing position, she's still jobless and so are her batchmates who are now joined by the thousands who passed the December 2007 licensure exam. Tens of thousands more are set to join the ranks of the unemployed now that the graduation season is over.
We were initially "encouraging" our daughter Ara to take up nursing, but with the way things are going, I'm now inclined to stand down.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
My baby is now a lady
Paraphrasing a line from a baby powder advert . . . yup, my baby is fast becoming a lady (I'm still in a state of denial that the time is NOW).My eldest daughter -- my pride and joy
Maria Aurora Patrice Ramirez Gutierrez
or simply, Ara, will be marking a milestone in her young life.
A few hours from now - as I write this -- she'll be going up the stage to receive her high school diploma from the College of the Holy Spirit-Manila.
March 30, 2008 (Sunday) will be remembered as the day when Ara will start her transition to a new chapter in her academic life.
And I'm saddened that I'll not be there to stand up, cheer and beam with pride.
I initially planned to make a quick trip to Manila to attend her graduation, but things got iffy and Mara and I had to tweak our plans for this year.
Ganito pala ang feeling ng may anak na ga-graduate. Totoo pala yung mga eksena sa mga TVC like the mobile phone ad that I'd often see on CNN kung saan mangiyak-ngiyak yung isang tatay while watching her daughter in a toga tapos nagfla-flashback yung mga scenes when his kid was just learning how to write her name hanggang sa lumaki na at humantong na nga sa graduation. Parang ganun rin nangyayari sa akin for the past few days. Sounds corny, but it's true.
Ang bilis ng panahon. Parang kailan lang I was there on a string of Ara's seeming unending graduation from nursery (twice at St. Charles Learning Centre), then pre-kinder then kindergarten then elementary (all at St. Joseph's College-Quezon City). . . .
(picture taken at Ara's graduation at St. Joseph's College in April 2004)
I still vividly remember the time when I escorted Ara to CHS to apply and eventually enroll as a freshman. We were thrilled to see the dolls dressed up in a CHS uniform at the then bare High School Library and we were also excited as the school's official seamstress took her measurements for her uniform. Kahit na medyo mabigat sa bulsa, I really pushed that she be part of history -- by being a member of the pioneer batch of the school's comebacking high school department -- and by the time this gets posted, she will be hours away from realising that moment.
Ara's graduation and subsequently Aia and Andre's will always have a deeper meaning to me. Starting with Ara, I've come full circle . . . and hopefully will still reach the roundabout when its time for Aia and Andre to cross the line.
I had my moment 22 years ago.
Now, it's my girl's time. And what a way for her to go . . . her class even voted her as the grad ball's "princess". And my goodness, mabuti na lang nagmana sa ama etcetera, etcetera . . . .
Mabrouk to Class 2008!
* * *
Nakakamangha talaga. Parang hagibis na dumaan ang 16 years.
Was it only yesterday when this little girl would sleep soundly in my arms and wasn't it just last night when she giggled and clapped her hands when I came home from work?
Parang kailan lang my mornings and evenings were spent watching Lion King dahil gusto niya na palaging ginagaya yung presentation scene ni Simba or mimic fight scenes from Power Rangers -- siya yung Pink Ranger ako naman yung kalaban -- or see her jump from the sofa and shout "sa kapangyarihan ng hiyas ng puso" while flashing Starla's "magic jewel." Ito na ba yung bata na dati-rati'y ang hirap awatin sa panonood ng Ghostfighter, parang kit-kiti kung gayahin ang pagsayaw ng original na Marimar at wala ring sawa sa pakikinig ng mga kanta ng F4 kahit na "Oh baby, baby baby" lang ang naintindihan?
* * *
Since moving away, I've lost track kung ano-ano ang likes and dislikes ng mga bebe ko.
From watching cartoons, Ara and even Aia are more interested in going to concerts. A few months back, pinapanood ko sila ng gig ng Fallout Boys (wonder if I spelt that right) and instead of dolls and other girlie stuff, they asked for iPods as pasalubong.
When I went home last December, Ara and Aia would prefer "fraps" at Starbucks to Happy Meal or Jolly Kiddie Meal. And Andre is still very much fixated with his Battle B-daman.
I miss our lazy weekend afternoons. I miss my kids.
Simple priceless pleasures that I had to give up.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Remembering our Northern Exposure
Sigh! My day at the office ended on a bad note.
The page I was producing hit a glitch-- making me miss my 7pm bus -- and I couldn't refuse an S.O.S. to help a distressed compatriot compose her complaint-affidavit that she needs to file with the Philippine Consulate -- which again made me miss the next bus at 9pm. I also missed my supposed final Tuesday night workout, which would've relieved me of the tension gripping my shoulders for the last 3 or so hours.
Normally (meaning, during my heydays in Manila), when confronted with such situations, I'd either hie off to my usual haunts and hang out with equally stressed out comrades or go straight home and play with the kids.
I was walking back to Gate 6 of Gulf News after waiting in vain for the ever reliably unreliable public bus when a chilly, winter breeze kissed my unprotected ears.
Suddenly, memories of Baguio came running in my mind.
Oo nga pala, it was exactly two months ago -- and exactly at the time I'm composing this entry -- we were on our way to the Philippine summer capital.
It was December 27, 2007. Christmas was over and I was clocking my 4th homecoming day.
Mara and I prepared for this three-day trip as early as September. It's the first time in more than 10 years that we'll be holidaying together with Mama and Tita Moni and the rest of the household.
The last time yata that everyone in the house went for an outing together was way back in 1994 pa when we went to Hundred Islands in Pangasinan. Ara was just two years old. Wala pa sina Aia and Andre. Trinangkaso pa nga ako nun e pero pinilit ko pa rin sumamang mag-island hopping.
Anyway bago na naman ako mapadpad sa kung saan-saan. We motored to the north using our neighbor's Nissan Urvan. Kahit na puyat ako, hindi ako natulog sa biyahe. I didn't want to miss every second, every scenery.
Miss na miss ko talaga ang 'Pinas so it was a visual feast for me to see unlighted streets, criss-crossing jeepneys, Bayani Fernando's u-turn slots and dangerous concrete barriers, kotong (mulcting) cops waiting to pounce on the poor biyaheros, the perennial jam at Balintawak interchange, the ever-present takatak boys, and even the shameless, self-praising billboards and signs mounted by oafs who call themselves "honorable".
Our first stopover was at a Petron petrol (UK English) or gas (US English) station within the North Luzon Expressway, somewhere in Bulacan. Bumili lang ako ng Star and managed to sneak in our first photo op on the road.
Our next stop was at Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. Jollibee was packed full of travellers stopping over for breakfast. Tatawid sana kami sa Chowking pero sabi ko sa kanila, sawang-sawa na ako sa kaka-Chowking sa Dubai, so we decided to look for another Jollibee or McDo.
Pero siyempre, di ako pumayag na umalis nang walang kodakan sa vintage train set that used to haul sugarcane from Tita Cory's azucarera.
After loading up on plants, handcrafted keychains which I gave to every staff member of XPRESS and oranges from Sagada, tinuhog na namin ang nearby sites -- the presidential mansion, Wright Park proper, Mines View Park and a quick swing to the Good Shepherd convent for the mandatory ube and strawberry jams.
Btw....may nakita pala akong kakaibang souvenir item sa Wright Park . . .
Oo nga naman.... tsinelas na pantulog yan e...nangengelam ka?!
Enjoy talaga si Aia sa John Hay.... feel daw niya wala siya sa Pilipinas.
Dec. 29 was really foggy . . . time check, 1.30pm
The page I was producing hit a glitch-- making me miss my 7pm bus -- and I couldn't refuse an S.O.S. to help a distressed compatriot compose her complaint-affidavit that she needs to file with the Philippine Consulate -- which again made me miss the next bus at 9pm. I also missed my supposed final Tuesday night workout, which would've relieved me of the tension gripping my shoulders for the last 3 or so hours.
Normally (meaning, during my heydays in Manila), when confronted with such situations, I'd either hie off to my usual haunts and hang out with equally stressed out comrades or go straight home and play with the kids.
I was walking back to Gate 6 of Gulf News after waiting in vain for the ever reliably unreliable public bus when a chilly, winter breeze kissed my unprotected ears.
Suddenly, memories of Baguio came running in my mind.
Oo nga pala, it was exactly two months ago -- and exactly at the time I'm composing this entry -- we were on our way to the Philippine summer capital.
It was December 27, 2007. Christmas was over and I was clocking my 4th homecoming day.
Mara and I prepared for this three-day trip as early as September. It's the first time in more than 10 years that we'll be holidaying together with Mama and Tita Moni and the rest of the household.
The last time yata that everyone in the house went for an outing together was way back in 1994 pa when we went to Hundred Islands in Pangasinan. Ara was just two years old. Wala pa sina Aia and Andre. Trinangkaso pa nga ako nun e pero pinilit ko pa rin sumamang mag-island hopping.
Anyway bago na naman ako mapadpad sa kung saan-saan. We motored to the north using our neighbor's Nissan Urvan. Kahit na puyat ako, hindi ako natulog sa biyahe. I didn't want to miss every second, every scenery.
Miss na miss ko talaga ang 'Pinas so it was a visual feast for me to see unlighted streets, criss-crossing jeepneys, Bayani Fernando's u-turn slots and dangerous concrete barriers, kotong (mulcting) cops waiting to pounce on the poor biyaheros, the perennial jam at Balintawak interchange, the ever-present takatak boys, and even the shameless, self-praising billboards and signs mounted by oafs who call themselves "honorable".
Our first stopover was at a Petron petrol (UK English) or gas (US English) station within the North Luzon Expressway, somewhere in Bulacan. Bumili lang ako ng Star and managed to sneak in our first photo op on the road.
Our next stop was at Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. Jollibee was packed full of travellers stopping over for breakfast. Tatawid sana kami sa Chowking pero sabi ko sa kanila, sawang-sawa na ako sa kaka-Chowking sa Dubai, so we decided to look for another Jollibee or McDo.
Pero siyempre, di ako pumayag na umalis nang walang kodakan sa vintage train set that used to haul sugarcane from Tita Cory's azucarera.
Kaso, ang layo pa pala ng kasunod na Jollibee! Umabot pa kami ng Urdaneta, Pangasinan before finally getting our first chow for the day. We were soooo hungry that we forgot all about the picture-taking. From hereon, non-stop na si Boy V. sa pagharurot paakyat ng Baguio.
I would've wanted to make brief stops along Marcos Highway to take some snaps, but Boy was against it since medyo delikado ang daan because of the thick fog.
Grabe na rin pala traffic sa Baguio! Bumperrr to bumperrrr!
It took us almost an hour to negotiate the city's maze. Nagpaikot-ikot pa kami in looking for Ina Mansion where we booked a big family room. Ina Mansion is just across Burnham Park kaso lahat halos ng napagtanungan namin di alam saan siya banda. The place was recommended by my Gulf News colleague, Patrick Masahud. Hindi naman siya kagandahan. The room smelled funny, maninipis ang beddings pero kumpleto naman sa basic amenities. Sa lobby pa lang, feel na feel namin ang country Christmas.
After a quick recharge, we made our first foray to SM BAGUIO -- Henry Sy's only mall that doesn't need airconditioning. Like any typical SM mall, the one in Baguio is perennially full of mall rats.
Here are some snaps of our first day in Baguio....
Our second day was dedicated to the "must see" places. First stop was the horseback-riding trail at Wright Park. Ayaw pa sanang sumakay ng kabayo ni Andre. Ikaw ba naman makakita ng kabayo na pink ang buhok....mawiwindang ka rin nga naman kasi si Starlite (kabayo ni Rainbow Brite) lang ang dapat ganun.
After loading up on plants, handcrafted keychains which I gave to every staff member of XPRESS and oranges from Sagada, tinuhog na namin ang nearby sites -- the presidential mansion, Wright Park proper, Mines View Park and a quick swing to the Good Shepherd convent for the mandatory ube and strawberry jams.
Btw....may nakita pala akong kakaibang souvenir item sa Wright Park . . .
Oo nga naman.... tsinelas na pantulog yan e...nangengelam ka?!
It was already half past 1pm when we finally arrived at Camp John Hay and we rewarded ourselves with this . . .
Enjoy talaga si Aia sa John Hay.... feel daw niya wala siya sa Pilipinas.
From there, takbo kami sa Philippine Military Academy sa Fort Del Pilar kaso di na kami umabot . . . so picture-picture na lang sa facade ng kampo as proof that we were there.
It was already sundown when we left the Loakan area to go back to the city proper. We were hoping to catch up with the Holy Mass at the Baguio Cathedral but we were slowed down by heavy traffic along Session Road. So what to do . . .
Day 3 . . . we initially planned to take a sneak peek at the adjacent Burnham Park and make a last stop at the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad. But the "bed" weather was too much to ignore.
So finally, we bid Baguio goodbye, but not after a stop at one of the roadside "pasalubong" outlets that dot Marcos Highway.
Dec. 29 was really foggy . . . time check, 1.30pm
. . . buti na lang, magaling piloto namin!
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From Baguio, we went to the Shrine of the Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan.
Flashback 1998: I was at the Shrine a day before the 1998 presidential elections to cover then Lakas standard bearer Joe de Venecia's visit to the Miraculous Lady. JdV -- who was with the then "feeling" First Lady Manay Gina -- claimed that this is his "secret weapon" against the steamrolling candidacy of Joseph Estrada. Well the good Lord knows that not all prayers are meant to be answered.
But the good Lady was kind to Mara, who together with her classmates went on a pilgrimage to Manaoag before taking their Nursing Board exam last June. She passed the exam and fulfilled her promise to Mama Mary.
Haay ... looking back...we really had a great time. At this early, I'm already setting my sights on going on a Viaje del Sol on my next trip home.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Nursing a nurse's problem
I join the Filipino nation in congratulating the more than 28,000 nurses who passed the December 2007 licensure exam in the Philippines. The results were released today.
Getting into the nursing profession is said to be the easiest way to the proverbial greener pastures as nurses are said to be in great demand in the greying First World.
And because most Westerners are not keen on letting their kids aspire to follow Florence Nightingale's footsteps, hospitals and nursing homes go to other countries like the Philippines and India to "poach" for professionals to fill in their medical staff requirements.
The demand daw for nurses is so huge that there are more than enough slots daw until the year 2020. Note that I placed two daws in that sentence because I'm doubting such statement. (hmmm....did the Filipino word "daw" evolved from the English word "doubt"?)
Anyway, I'm not an authority to discuss this. The Manila Times once ran a special report on the nursing brain drain, so check it out for yourself.
Why am I suddenly interested in nurses? Well, I happen to be married to one.
Mara was among those who passed the June 2007 licensure exam. She's now an RN, but still a "certified bum" (her words).
Mara is what has been termed as a "second courser". Many like her were made to believe that the fastest and easiest way to earn greenbacks was to become a nurse.
In Mara's case, she really wanted to become a nurse. She was a nursing student in college before shifting to Commerce due to financial reasons. Her becoming a nurse can be said to be a realisation of her dream.
When news of Mara's hurdling of the nursing board spread, people kept on telling us: "Uy ang swerte nyo naman. Aalis na kayo papunta sa States nyan."
For sure, ganun din ang narinig ng mga kapamilya at kapuso ng mga pumasa sa last board exam.
Like us, umaasa na rin sila na in a short while, matutupad na rin ang pangarap nilang makatikim ng dolyares dahil mag-aabroad na ang kanilang bagong nurse!
Sorry to bust your bubble my dearies... it ain't gonna happen soon.
Linawin lang po natin. Hindi po por que nurse na po ang inyong asawa/anak/pamangkin/apo/girlfriend/boyfriend/kapatid/kapitbahay/kabit (oops) makakapagtrabaho na siya agad bilang nurse. Bakit po?
Those who passed the December board will have to to contend with maybe 40,000 unemployed registered nurses (my rough estimate) who spent months going from one hospital to another to submit their CVs. Sa batch pa lang nga ni Mara, parang parang 9 out of 10 are still unemployed.
Hospitals in Metro Manila are deluged with nurses. Hindi pa kasama doon ang mga student nurses who are required to render hospital duty.
Kahapon lang, Mara went to Medical Centre Manila in UN Avenue to submit her application. Ang dami raw applicants. She was placed on the "active" file, at tatawagan na lang daw pag may bakante. A simple case of the infamous "don't call us, we'll call you" line ng mga HR.
Naikot na rin ng mga classmates ni Mara ang halos lahat ng ospital sa Metro Manila para mag-apply pero until now, wala pa ni isa sa kanila ang tinatawagan for employment.
Dito naman pumapasok ang mga mapagsamantalang ospital.
Knowing that newly-passed nurses are desperate to start clocking in their experience, they're taking advantage of the situation.
May mga ospital tulad ng isang sikat na private hospital sa city of Manila that accepts "volunteer" nurses in exchange for a P5,000 donation to their charity foundation. And since they're "volunteers," the nurse don't get paid for working 8-10 hours, many in graveyard shifts.
There are also hospitals who tie up newly-hired nurses to a fixed contract. If the nurse decides to pre-terminate the contract, the hospital will not certify that he/she has worked with them.
Contrary to common perception, hindi agad makakapag-abroad ang mga nurses because overseas employers require nurses to have at least 2 years of local hospital experience because it is a government requirement. Dito lang sa Dubai, nurses must have at least 2 years experience before they are allowed to apply for a health ministry license. And all hospitals in the UAE only require nurses to have a ministry license.
Sa US naman daw, kailangan pasado ka sa NCLEX para makapag-work ka dun as nurse. Ang dami pang exam na dapat ring kunin ng mga nurses. Aside from the PRC-administered exam and the NCLEX, may naririnig pa akong CGFNS, IELTS, TOEFL at kung ano-ano pang alphabet soup exam.
So saan napupunta ang mga wasted human medical resource ng Pilipinas?
Many are now donning headsets instead of stethoscopes in call centres and medical transcription companies. Buti na raw na mag-call centre muna while waiting for their turn to take the NCLEX.
Meron namang pumupuslit at nagbabakasakali na lang sa abroad. Dito lang sa Dubai, ang dami daw na nurses na naghahanap ng trabaho with some even ending up as salesladies or office receptionists. Kaya nga di ko pinayagan si Mara sumunod sa akin dito dahil binabarat ang mga inexperienced at unlicensed nurses dito (wala pa daw Dh2,000 and sweldo sa mga tsipipay na clinics) at sayang naman ang pagka-nurse niya if she takes on a non-nursing job.
So now, if you hear our blabbermouth politicians and officials aspiring for media attention yakking about an alleged nursing brain-drain or doomsayers claiming the Philippine healthcare system is in peril...don't you ever believe these assholes. Nagpapapogi lang yung mga animal na yun.
THE PHILIPPINES IS OVERFLOWING WITH NURSES.... wala lang silang mapuwestuhan sa palpak na healthcare system natin.
-oOo-
On a more personal note, about a month ago today, we went to Sta Clara Monastery along Katipunan Ave in Quezon City to offer prayers and eggs to the poor Claires.
Pinoy urban legend has it that if you don't want your party to be rained out, go to Santa Clara and offer eggs and a prayer.
Getting into the nursing profession is said to be the easiest way to the proverbial greener pastures as nurses are said to be in great demand in the greying First World.
And because most Westerners are not keen on letting their kids aspire to follow Florence Nightingale's footsteps, hospitals and nursing homes go to other countries like the Philippines and India to "poach" for professionals to fill in their medical staff requirements.
The demand daw for nurses is so huge that there are more than enough slots daw until the year 2020. Note that I placed two daws in that sentence because I'm doubting such statement. (hmmm....did the Filipino word "daw" evolved from the English word "doubt"?)
Anyway, I'm not an authority to discuss this. The Manila Times once ran a special report on the nursing brain drain, so check it out for yourself.
Why am I suddenly interested in nurses? Well, I happen to be married to one.
Mara was among those who passed the June 2007 licensure exam. She's now an RN, but still a "certified bum" (her words).Mara is what has been termed as a "second courser". Many like her were made to believe that the fastest and easiest way to earn greenbacks was to become a nurse.
In Mara's case, she really wanted to become a nurse. She was a nursing student in college before shifting to Commerce due to financial reasons. Her becoming a nurse can be said to be a realisation of her dream.
When news of Mara's hurdling of the nursing board spread, people kept on telling us: "Uy ang swerte nyo naman. Aalis na kayo papunta sa States nyan."
For sure, ganun din ang narinig ng mga kapamilya at kapuso ng mga pumasa sa last board exam.
Like us, umaasa na rin sila na in a short while, matutupad na rin ang pangarap nilang makatikim ng dolyares dahil mag-aabroad na ang kanilang bagong nurse!
Sorry to bust your bubble my dearies... it ain't gonna happen soon.
Linawin lang po natin. Hindi po por que nurse na po ang inyong asawa/anak/pamangkin/apo/girlfriend/boyfriend/kapatid/kapitbahay/kabit (oops) makakapagtrabaho na siya agad bilang nurse. Bakit po?
Those who passed the December board will have to to contend with maybe 40,000 unemployed registered nurses (my rough estimate) who spent months going from one hospital to another to submit their CVs. Sa batch pa lang nga ni Mara, parang parang 9 out of 10 are still unemployed.
Hospitals in Metro Manila are deluged with nurses. Hindi pa kasama doon ang mga student nurses who are required to render hospital duty.
Kahapon lang, Mara went to Medical Centre Manila in UN Avenue to submit her application. Ang dami raw applicants. She was placed on the "active" file, at tatawagan na lang daw pag may bakante. A simple case of the infamous "don't call us, we'll call you" line ng mga HR.
Naikot na rin ng mga classmates ni Mara ang halos lahat ng ospital sa Metro Manila para mag-apply pero until now, wala pa ni isa sa kanila ang tinatawagan for employment.
Dito naman pumapasok ang mga mapagsamantalang ospital.
Knowing that newly-passed nurses are desperate to start clocking in their experience, they're taking advantage of the situation.
May mga ospital tulad ng isang sikat na private hospital sa city of Manila that accepts "volunteer" nurses in exchange for a P5,000 donation to their charity foundation. And since they're "volunteers," the nurse don't get paid for working 8-10 hours, many in graveyard shifts.
There are also hospitals who tie up newly-hired nurses to a fixed contract. If the nurse decides to pre-terminate the contract, the hospital will not certify that he/she has worked with them.
Contrary to common perception, hindi agad makakapag-abroad ang mga nurses because overseas employers require nurses to have at least 2 years of local hospital experience because it is a government requirement. Dito lang sa Dubai, nurses must have at least 2 years experience before they are allowed to apply for a health ministry license. And all hospitals in the UAE only require nurses to have a ministry license.
Sa US naman daw, kailangan pasado ka sa NCLEX para makapag-work ka dun as nurse. Ang dami pang exam na dapat ring kunin ng mga nurses. Aside from the PRC-administered exam and the NCLEX, may naririnig pa akong CGFNS, IELTS, TOEFL at kung ano-ano pang alphabet soup exam.
So saan napupunta ang mga wasted human medical resource ng Pilipinas?
Many are now donning headsets instead of stethoscopes in call centres and medical transcription companies. Buti na raw na mag-call centre muna while waiting for their turn to take the NCLEX.
Meron namang pumupuslit at nagbabakasakali na lang sa abroad. Dito lang sa Dubai, ang dami daw na nurses na naghahanap ng trabaho with some even ending up as salesladies or office receptionists. Kaya nga di ko pinayagan si Mara sumunod sa akin dito dahil binabarat ang mga inexperienced at unlicensed nurses dito (wala pa daw Dh2,000 and sweldo sa mga tsipipay na clinics) at sayang naman ang pagka-nurse niya if she takes on a non-nursing job.
So now, if you hear our blabbermouth politicians and officials aspiring for media attention yakking about an alleged nursing brain-drain or doomsayers claiming the Philippine healthcare system is in peril...don't you ever believe these assholes. Nagpapapogi lang yung mga animal na yun.
THE PHILIPPINES IS OVERFLOWING WITH NURSES.... wala lang silang mapuwestuhan sa palpak na healthcare system natin.
-oOo-
On a more personal note, about a month ago today, we went to Sta Clara Monastery along Katipunan Ave in Quezon City to offer prayers and eggs to the poor Claires.
Pinoy urban legend has it that if you don't want your party to be rained out, go to Santa Clara and offer eggs and a prayer.
This afternoon, Mara was back in St Claire not to ask for the rains to stop but to comfort her friends who failed to make the cut in the December exam.
Let us pray for those who need to be comforted.
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