Have you ever experienced saying goodbye painfully to your kasambahay for many years?
I have, and it does hurt much. The family’s Manang Luz has been with the family for fifty-two long years. She was just sixteen in 1968 when my mother took her to be part of the household. She was family. When she retired three years ago at age 72, there was a sudden feeling of emptiness in me.
For how does one really part with someone who has become a member of the family for decades? She took good care of me beginning at age 9. She was the best cook and prepared delicious meals for us. Her morcon was one of our many favorite dishes, not to mention the croquetas and the albondigas which she learned to make from my mother.
She would even join the family on evenings watching television. She was a huge fan of local basketball PBA team Ginebra. In summertime, she would join us for our trips to Baguio City and would do marketing chores with my mother.
It’s been three years since she left our home to return to her native town of Dumalag, Capiz to spend her days of her retirement there, and yet, the vacuum in me still grows even larger. I miss her home-cooked meals and her company in general. Her distinctive voice and speech carrying a strong Visayan accent is one I shall never forget.
So how does one forget a Manang Luz in your life? Never. I pray she is well and strong in her days as a senior citizen and I will forever be grateful for the services and care she has unselfishly given to us.
The same thing goes to your kasambahays as I am sure you too have your versions of our Manang Luz in your family. Take good care of them and give them honor and respect in all your dealings with them.
Maintenance Department
Before the pandemic of 2020 hit us badly, I used to join a group of senior citizens for a kaffeeklatsch at a local fast food store in my neighborhood.
The seniors there were divided into three sub-groups namely: from the complaint department. All they ever did was complain about everything from the traffic, to the high cost of living, to low income, and yes, about the weather.
The second group was from the fire department. The members here were either fired from work or were dismissed from service.
And then the third group was from the maintenance department.
The conversations varied from health to retirement benefits, grandchildren and caregivers.
In summary, as all were pleasant for coffee and a good chat, the subject matter that has proven to be so diverse yet so encompassing was the topic on maintenance medicines.
These daily doses, when properly administered to a senior’s body, will work effectively in the prevention of serious illnesses – and for good reasons. It is common sense to conclude that one should always take his maintenance medicines whether or not he feels good or bad. In doing so, one under such medications will seldom experience sudden changes in his body unless something really serious with underlying implications.
As a senior myself, I have disciplined myself to never run out of my maintenance medicines and to always take them at the right dosage and time. This way, I may continue adding quality to my days complemented with proper nutrition and daily exercise.
My daily long walks have proven to be an excellent health regimen for me to prevent high blood and high blood sugar.
Pharm ally or foe
It’s good that Congress is gearing up for a reinvestigation of a scandal involving Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation on allegations of overpriced hospital supplies like face shields and test kits in the days of Covid-19 in the Philippines.
The Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Sen. Dick Gordon embarked on an investigation involving Duterte crony Michael Yang with other personalities like Christopher Lao who worked as DBM undersecretary and a friend of former Special Assistant to the President (now Senator) Bong Go.
Also implicated which led to their arrests were Mohit Dargani, Twinkle Dargani, and Lincoln Ong. The three were eventually released from prison.
As you probably still remember, the company was involved in multi-billion peso deals amounting to P8.68 billion despite having only a small paid-up capital of P625 thousand pesos when it was formed in 2019.
Last year, the Ombudsman found government executives guilty of administrative charges and recommended the filing of graft charges to several individuals including Pharmally executives.
But it seems that a closure never really took place, hence the reason for the reopening of the case. One would suspect that the involvement of Christopher Lao would lead up to Sen. Bong Go.
And guess who’s right above him? Is this the reason why no less than former President Duterte himself barred his Cabinet officials from participating in the Senate hearings? And isn’t this a clear manifestation of obstructing justice in aid of protection? Tsk.
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