people who touched my life and left…

THE NIGHT SANTA DID NOT RIDE HIS REINDEERS

Cesar Macabuag Ramos Sr.

(Dec. 31,1916- January 14, 1980)

ANGIE Ramos never cried. She never pouted when the cold December wind began to blow, caressing her cheeks. In her young mind, Angie believed that Santa Claus was coming to town to make her Christmas wishes come true.

      But Angie was then  six years old and never realized that Santa Claus was his beloved Papa, not until he died. It was a big blow to Nanay and to the other kids.

      Life isn’t always filLed with mellow sweetness, they realized.   But Nanay worked hard to make the kids happy as they grew up, despite the absence of Papa.

      Unaware that Santa had died with their Papa, Angie and her Kuya  Bubbles and elder sisters Dona, Fe, Ody, Cora and Lutchie hang their socks on the windows, hoping to find their gifts on the windows...... hoping to find their gifts on Christmas Day.

      They have been doing this since they were old enough to stand. On several occasions, they even laid awake in bed hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa. But the cold- and it was very, very cold in Lucena City where they lived—always put them in deep slumber, tucked lightly in their beds.

      Nini , the eldest daughter used to believe there really was a Santa Claus who rode on a sleigh pulled by reindeers, until she caught Papa, with Nanay, stuffing gifts into the socks on the windows.

      Nini made a compact with Papa to keep her discovery a secret. And Angie and everyone else grew up believing that, indeed, there was  Santa Claus.

      The year after Papa died, as Christmas drew nearer again, Angie, now a year older, waited eagerly for Santa Claus to come. As early as five o’clock of Christmas eve, the children were already excitedly preparing their socks. Except for Nanay and Nini, who looked at them, faces downcast and almost in tears.

      After hanging their socks at the windows, the children crawled into bed, shivering until the cold put them to sleep. The next day, they rushed from under the blankets to their windows. Their socks were empty. No money, no chocolates, no toys. Nothing.

      Bewildered, Angie asked Nanay: “Did Santa Claus not ride his reindeers to bring our gifts? Or did Santa Claus miss our address? Why didn’t he come? Was he sick?”

      “Alam n’yo,” Nanay said, “hindi na darating si Santa Claus dahil namatay na siya.”

      But Angie wouldn’t accept the explanation. ”Di ba may powers siya? Bakit siya namatay?”

      Patiently, Nini explained to them that Santa Claus was their Papa.

“He knows where you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good.”

“Kaya pala alam niya lahat ang tungkol sa amin,” the children, though still in shock muttered.

When she became a mother to only child Frances Joyce, she instilled mind the belief in Santa Claus.

Everytime Christmas draws near, Frances would always ask her Daddy Sandy  to bring down her life-size stuffed Santa from atop the cabinet where she keeps her toys. Then she would make her wish.

Just like her Tita Angie, she believes Santa will come to our  house to put gifts inside her socks, 2 pieces of  huge socks  given  by her Lolo Ernie. And her Santa, who is very much alive, never disappointed her.

Since Papa’s death, there are no more socks on the windows of the two-storey bungalow of the Ramos family.

Angie’s Santa may no longer be able to ride his sleigh, but he always makes his presence felt in  her heart and memory.

And I too, along with her brother and sisters, will wait for Angie’s Santa.

Angie, you see, is my dearest youngest sister. She now lives in Panabo City with her husband Raymond Rivera and two sons, Poy and Pau. (macon)  

THE LAST MEDIA NOCHE

Ma. Fedelina Maano Ramos

(January 12, 1962-January 12, 1987)

      Dona was a young and vibrant lady who was full of laughter. No one would ever think that at the prime of her youth, Dona would be bedridden.

      Endowned with a pretty face and a coquettish smile, Dona commanded a second look wherever she went. She was once a campus beauty and won several beauty titles.

      She was a good cook. On several family gatherings, she did the cooking. She was also invited  by some closer friends to cook for them.

      Following family tradition, Dona, her only brother and sisters always went home to Lucena City for the Christmas holidays, and Dona always cooked for them their favorite dishes.

      But on one occasion in December 1986, Dona did not cook for the  Noche Buena, which also happened to be the birthday of her Kuya.

      Dona said she felt weak, having gone through a series of surgeries at the Kidney Center in Quezon City and other hospitals in Lucena City.

      She had lupus, but she remained a happy-go-lucky girl. “Basta rin lang mabuti ang kanyang pakiramdam, naglalayas siya,” her family said.

      She had learned to accept her ailment, no doubt because she considered life as an occasion for cracking jokes and being happy.

      Dona was a great joker. I can still remember that day  their family went to the old cemetery to viist their Papa. While dancing—and she was a terrific dancer- on top of the tomb of their Papa, Dona said: “Kung natuluyan pala ako, sana nasa loob na rin ako ng nitso.”

      In May 1986, Dona was confined at the Kidney Center for a month after she fell into a coma. The doctors gave her a slim chance of surviving.  

But she did survive and live for another eight months.

      So come December, she visited old friends at the Quezon Provincial Governor’s Office,  and asked  for gifts. She even teased friends her ghost would haunt them if they don’t give her something. Of course, her friends and former officemates acceded to her request. They knew she was dying.

      Dona was busy gallivanting around until she got “very tired” and decided to stay in bed on Chrismas day. But then, after getting enough rest, Dona went back to her old self. “Naglalakwatsa na naman.”

      Early in the morning of December 31, Dona went to the market with a younger sister and invited friends to spend media noche with them, saying she had prepared several dishes.

      But as Grandpa’s  old clock struck midnight, tolling the first hour of the New Year, Dona called all her sisters to bring her upstairs. She was in bed as firecrackers lit up the sky.

      Early the next morning, Dona told her Nanay to bring her to the hospital since she was in deep pain.

      On January 4, she again fell into coma for four days. After regaining consciousness, Dona said she was now ready to undergo dialysis.

      However, as fate would have it, Dona’s body failed to endure the pain and once again became comatose, this time with her eyes open--as if insistent on seeing her visitors, especially her family.

      On January 12, a day before her birthday, Dona moved her head and clutched the hands of her sisters. Tears welled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

      Thinking that God had spared the life of their Dona, her sisters who just came from a mass at the St. Ferdinand Cathedral were overjoyed and sang her a birthday song.

      But the rejoicing was short-lived. Two hours later, Dona who just turned 24, died.

The New Year brings forth new hope. But for Dona’s family, it was the start of another grief. Their Papa, too had died on the 14th  of January in 1981. (macon)

Genoveva Maano-Ramos

(January 3,1937-April 30,1994)

Mother’s day in Heaven

THERE were  no more greeting cards, gifts or songs for Nanay. There were no more warm hugs and kisses for her.

Two weeks before Mother’s Day,  on April 30, 1994,  at exactly 10 a.m., Nanay succumbed to lung cancer in a hospital in Lucena City.

In the past Mother’s Day celebrations, it was customary for us her children to go home to Lucena and spend the day with her.

A year before she died, I gave Nanay a card with a very touching dedication. Actually, the card was given for free by Jollibee for every P30 food purchase.

But what mattered most were the words written on it in Tagalog. “Sa pinakadakilang ina sa buong mundo. Pinakamamahal ko kayo, Inay.”

While we were tidying up Nanay’s old aparador, we saw the card we had given her, including the one from Jollibee. Whatever we gave her, she kept.    

We often laughed  at Nanay’s habit— for there was always a big mess of  things piled up in her aparador. We knew she kept even the canned goods which our sister Fe sent her from New York. So whenever we visited her, we would check in her aparador for canned goods and other goodies from the States.,

Our youngest sister Angie, who cried so hard when Nanay died, had promised our mother a beautiful gold bracelet. But now she laments. “Hindi ko na mabibili si Nanay ng gusto niyang bracelet.”

Although we knew of Nanay’s impending death a year ago, it has still been very difficult for us to accept that she’s already gone. We still would cry whenever we got together.

We were all at her bedside until her last breath. We saw how she fought for her life, especially when she heard my sisters crying and yelling at her to hold on.

My grandmother and some uncles who where with us at the hospital kept telling my sisters to let go of our mother.

During those moments at the hospital and even until Nanay was buried, I never shed a tear- because Ihad been crying a lot ever since the doctors told us that Nanay had only six months to live.

How I prayed for a miracle- that time would stop. I just hid my tears so that my younger sisters might not lose hope, although chances of Nanay’s survival were bleak.

Besides, an hour before we rushed her to the hospital, Nanay  told me not to cry when she saw I was about to. Gasping for breath, Nanay, who had not had much sleep for the past six days, whispered to me, “Huwag kanyang umiyak.”   

But I couldn’t stop the tears, when Nanay suddenly pulled the oxygen tube from her nostrils and toldme, “Gusto ko nang matulog nang diretso. Hirapna hirap na ‘ko.”

She had all but lost her voice as the cancerous cells had spread all through her vital organs.

Although I knew well that there was no hope for Nanay,  I kept telling her that she would get well, only that it would require more time and patience. So, she agreed to get herself hooked to the oxygen and even asked for the nebulizer to ease her breathing.

Burtwhen all the life-supporting devices seemed not of any help, Nanay asked me to bring her to the hospital. So I woke up my husband Sandy and everybody in the house.

Nanay was very much conscious all the time. She refused to lie down in bed and preferred sitting up once in awhile, blankly staring at us. I could  feel that she was reluctant to leave us.

But her frail body just gave us in her battle for life. She asked my sisters, Ody, Cora and Lutchie to help her lie down. Slowly, Nanay closed her weary eyes and did not open them again until she died.

“Pero kahit nakapikit si Nanay, nag-respond pa rin siya sa amin. Kaya mas mahirap palang mamatay nang conscious kaysa unconscious,” we would tell other people after our mother’s death.

But there were two significant things we noted: First, Nanay waited for all of us to be at her bedside before she finally left. Second, she waited for me to bring her my wedding dress, which she wanted to wear for her burial.

I can still vividly picture how Nanay lay gasping for breathe while waiting for my older brother Kuya Bubbles, my brother-in-law Noel and all her grandchildren, Frances Joyce, Angelis Joyce, Geneva Joyce and Third.

From the very beginning, Nanay knew too well that my sister Fe will not be able to come home from New York. Fe has lupus, and her coming to the Philippines may aggravate her illness due to the weather here.

Regarding my bridal dress, it was a suggestion from my mother-in-law.I woreit during my very simple church wedding. Since then, everytime I came home to Lucena, I would plan to bring it to a dry-cleaning shop, but somehow, always felt lazy when the time came.

At first, we agreed to buy Nanay a Barong Tagalog, but my mother-in-law said it would be much better if the dress would come from the family. We also didn’t like the idea of preparing a burial dress for Nanay. It’s as if we were just really waiting for her to die.

I kept the dress hanging inside one of our bedrooms at the house in Lucena. But Ody would always take it down, saying: “Para naming Flor Contemplacion,nakakapanglaw.”(macon)

89-year old SP Juan Ponce Enrile, a smoker at 9

HAVING started smoking at the age of nine and quitting when he was sixty-five, 89-year-old Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has  extolled he had never incurred any disease of any kind.

This revelation of the ‘grand old man’ of the Senate of the Philippines elicited laughter from fellow senators and guests, including ranking government officials, during the senate  public hearing on sin taxes.

Enrile, who as been vocal about his strong objection to the proposed measure rationalizing excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol products, said he is just talking about himself.

“My experience… I’m telling you about my experience. Sometimes, I’m just wondering about these things. I think I can speak here. Probably I’m the oldest in this room,” said Enrile.

In their place in Cagayan, Enrile noted that most of the farmers and fishermen are smokers. In Ilocos region, they make their own tobacco, the long ones. Sometimes, they even put the fire inside.

“I remember all the kinds of cigarettes consumed-- sweet tasting cigarette, the white cigarettes by Tabacalera. All those have been smoked in our areas. But I have not seen a person dying of cancer, dying from these diseases. Many of our people in the shoreline of Cagayan died of old age. I wonder why this cancer came about,” further stressed Enrile.

In his presentation before the senate committee on ways and means chaired by Senator Ralph Recto, Health Secretary Enrique Ona explained that tobacco use is a risk factor for six of the eight leading preventable deaths in the world.

“In the Philippines, the top 4 killers of our people are diseases related to smoking: ischemic heart disease, strokes, emphysema and cancer of the lungs, trachea and the gastrointestinal tract,” added Ona.

But Enrile, who seemed not convinced said he recalled the first time he heard about cancer was after the war.

“When I was young in the barrio, I remember a neighbor who was chewing tobacco with nganga (lime, apog) made from seashells and then from bettlenut. Then I noticed she had a hole here, cheek, that’s the only incident of cancer that I can remember all my years,” said the Ilocano lawmaker.

But Enrile clarified he was not saying that Ona was not correct as he demanded from the health chief the other reasons why pulmonary diseases and hypertensive diseases and heart attacks are prevalent in our days because of modern living and the environment.

“I think we have to be very fair about dealing with this problem,” said Enrile who even asked Ona if education will be able to reduce the number of smokers in the country.

“Definitely,” answered Ona.

“I know the President is a smoker. Did you ever asked him why he is not stopping smoking?” Enrile also questioned Ona who replied: “As a matter of fact, i think he tried his best.”

A friend, Joyce, who was sitting beside me commented, “I’m sure they were smoking ‘hand-rolled tobacco cigar.” “Eh wala naming chemical un.”

Meanwhile, Enrile has predicted “bloody” deliberations among senators on the key measure seeking to generate additional revenues for the government. He said it will still undergo thorough scrutiny at the Senate hearings.

Senator Bongbong Marcos said if the government really intends to lower the incidence of smoking, it should also provide alternative livelihood to the tobacco farmers who will be displaced.

“What will the government do with the tobacco farmers, growers, retailers and traders. They will be adversely affected by the decline in tobacco consumption. Now, what are we going to do with them if they lost their livelihood?’ he further asked.

“I even asked the senate panel how many do you think will lost their jobs due to your plan to increase taxes? We still can’t come out with this because various sectors have been giving different numbers. In the industry, they’re saying that many will be rendered jobless, but others were saying that it will just have minimal effect,” said Marcos.

Because of this, Marcos, another Ilocano lawmaker, cited the need to thoroughly study the effects if the tax rate increase will be 10% or 20%.We have to crunch the numbers on what are the effects of this proposed measure. He warned that the tobacco industry will be killed if this bill is passed into law.

“This industry supports three million workers. They are dependent on tobacco for their livelihood. They should not be neglected. While this could generate additional revenues for the government, they should also take into consideration foremost the lives of the people who will be prejudiced by killing the industry.

The Philippine Tobacco Growers Association (PTGA) has called on the senators to reject the anti-farmer and anti-worker provisions in the excise tax bill on tobacco and alcohol products approved by the House of Representatives last month.

PTGA president Saturnino Distor said their harvest are bought by big manufacturers as well as small cigarette makers. He said very high tax of as much as 708 to 1000 percent on low-priced cigarette brands, which small manufacturers make, will price these products out of the market leaving the farmers with no market to sell a significant volume of their annual production.

Tobacco workers also made a similar appeal to the Senate, pointing out that the workers employed by small cigarette manufacturers such as La Suerte, Mighty Corp. and the Associated Anglo-American Tobacco Corp. would be the first to be directly hit by the House tax proposal.

Hilario Punzalan, president of the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU) said thousands of workers of small cigarette manufacturers will be the first to join the unemployment line if this bill is passed because small tobacco firms would be forced to close their businesses as they would be unable to compete with the influx of imported brands that pay only minimal taxes.

Senator Franklin Drilon, chair of the senate finance committee, said the bill would mean additional P33 billion a year for the national government. He said it would not only increase funds for government's health care program but would also help improve the health of ordinary Filipinos. (macon)

Negros becoming PH sheep capital

Negros Occidental’s vision of becoming the country’s sheep capital is coming closer to reality after more than half of the 5,474 ewe that the capitol imported from Australia have become pregnant at a sprawling 159-hectare ranch in the town of Murcia.

Veterinarian Satur Dayanan said many ewe are expected to give birth any time this month followed by other ewes in the coming months.

“We suspect that half of the ewes are pregnant after they mated with the rams. We are expecting them to give birth anytime this month or sometimes in August or in the next few months,” said Dayanan.

With this development, the city government of Negros Occidental remains buoyant to soon earn the title as the country’s “sheep capital.”

“Right now, we are importing a lot of meat and our consumption is expected to increase. We want to be self-sufficient in meat through this program,” said Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr. who allocated P82 million for the purchase of the ewes, 296 rams and the construction of structures to house them at the ranch.

A ram costs P16,000 while an ewe amounts to P25,000 each, excluding shipping and insurance costs.

Maranon said the purchase of the sheep is part of his government’s food sufficiency program, and livelihood program for those interested in breeding their own sheep.

“This would be of great help to their livelihood. This can augment their income.” said Maranon, adding that a lot of people are interested in breeding sheep in their province. “This is very, very promising.”

Maranon said they will put up a halal-certified slaughterhouse where the sheep will be slaughtered and the lamb or mutton can be sold at meat shops that the provincial government is also planning to build to encourage the industry.

The industry, he said, will definitely generate employment for local residents. “We build meat shops for sheep.”

“Right now, we are importing a lot of meat and our consumption is expected to increase. We want to be self-sufficient in meat through this program,” said the governor.

Aside from meat sales, the sheep’s wool can also be developed into a profit center and Maranon also hopes the new industry will also boost culinary tourism in the province.

“We want foreign and local tourists to come to the province and savor our cuisine using the meat of the sheep,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dayanan said the governor’s plans are doable, particularly now that their ewes are pregnant and they can expect to double their herd over the next few months.

He said monitoring officers or farm workers under a supervisor or manager are assigned to closely watch the ‘sexual activities” of the rams and ewes. He said each ewe and ram has an ear tag for proper identification and monitoring. It will appear on record when a ram mounted and inseminated a particular ewe.

He said they will then wait for 17 to 21 days to establish if the mating between an ewe and a ram was successful.

If a ram refuses to approach an ewe during the said period of time, it is an indication that the animal is now pregnant. The gestation period will last for 152 days or a little over 5 months.

He said the pregnant ewe is then transferred to the so-called “lambing area” a week or 10 days before it gives birth. The ewe will be brought inside a corral where it will stay with other pregnant ewes until they give birth.

“They will just be placed inside a corral since there’s no need for human intervention for them to give birth. When an ewe encounters difficulty in giving birth, it’s the only time that we will assist them,” further said Dayanan who has been accustomed to helping ewes give birth.

Because sheep are uniparous (producing an offspring one at a time), he said an ewe gives birth to only one sheep.

“In rare cases, there are either 3 sheep or 4 sheep that come out. We also have two sheep that come out at the same time. We referred to it as twinning,” explained Dayanan. He said there are certain breed of ewe which gives birth to two sheep.

He said they can determine if an ewe is pregnant through the process called rectal palpation where fingers are inserted in the ewe’s rectum.

But Dayanan said they don’t usually do the process because this is physically tedious on the part of the animal. The ewe becomes stressed. Its body resistance becomes lower and it will eventually be more vulnerable to diseases.

“So we just have to wait for physical changes in the ewe. Its abdomen turns bigger,”said Dayanan.

Also, the muscles near the tail of the ewe will be relaxed and her udder will be filled. She will be larger in girth than normal.

When an ewe needs a partner to mate with, Dayanan said

the animal is more vocal and more mobile. It rides on other herdmates or vice versa.  The ram will follow the ewe and court her by nuzzling her flanks and licking her clitoris, and will often do a flehmen response when she urinates.  When an ewe reaches standing heat, the animal will let the male mount her and inseminate her.

Since one ram is being partnered to 20 ewe for mating purposes, the ram is afforded the much needed rest for a month. The ram will have to mate with an ewe for 45 to 60 days.  In general, an ewe can give birth twice in 13 months.

To ensure the strength of a ram, Dayanan it is administered vitamins A, B complex, D and E and given additional electrolytes. If a ram appeared to have lost weight, it is provided additional concentrates.

In a separate interview, Provincial Veterinary Dr. Renante Decena said 80 hectares of the Negros ranch is planted to Napier grass, also known as elephant grass.  “So we have more than enough supply of the Napier grass, which originated from Florida, USA.

Decena said the sheep purchased by the provincial government were the Dorper and Damara breeds since they adapt well to a variety of climatic and grazing conditions. They can survive in varied conditions and can withstand different kinds of weather.

Unlike goats which only eat top of grasses, Dorper and Damara consumed all the grasses. “So it is easy to feed them than goats or other breed of sheep,” said Decena.

In Australia, Dorpers are now farmed throughout the arid and tropical areas as well as the high rainfall southern States, thriving even in the extreme cold and wetness of Tasmania.  They are  extremely adaptable with a high ability to flourish, grow, produce and reproduce in irregular and low rainfall environments.

The Dorper is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed by crossing Dorset Horn and the Blackhead Persian sheep. The name Dorper is a coupling of the first syllables of the parent breeds Dorset and Persian.

The other breed of sheep found in Negros Oriental is the Damara, which originates from Eastern Asia and Egypt. Its name was derived from the specific region where the sheep were originally encountered (formerly known as Gross Damaraland).

Damara sheep can survive in a harsh environment and under poor nutritional conditions.  The breed is exceptionally vigorous and can produce and reproduce where water and grazing is fairly restricted.

Research has shown that the breed responds very well to optimum conditions. It has a fairly high resistance to most sheep diseases and also good tolerance against internal parasites.

The mothering ability of the breed is exceptional. The ewes produce enough milk even to raise twin lambs which will occur in 5 to 10% of the births.aaaaaaa

At present, Decena said 2000 sheep have been given to private sectors, the livestock breeders, and the local government units. “They may pay in cash or on a loan basis, which is three years to pay.”

Although the sheep have been disposed, Decena said they will continue to regularly monitor them, give them technical assistance, including ideas to expand management.

“We want the sheep to multiple for the industry to grow bigger and bigger,” he added. (end)

Bagobos weave fabric of life

BY MACON RAMOS-ARANETA

EIGHTY-two-year old Ines Pandian was 17 when she learned to make a living out of weaving from her mother who inherited the Bagobo craft that was handed down through generations.

I happened to meet her during “The Senator Loren Legarda Lecture “series on Philippine Traditional Textiles and Indigenous Knowledge  at the National Museum in Manila.

As she can’t understand either the Tagalog or English language, I looked for  somebody who could speak her dialect. Too good, Brenda, who hails from Davao del Sur, was around. She patiently translated our conversations so we could understand each other.

During our conversation, I learned that Aling Ines has six children, but only two of them opted to do abaca clothes and make ends meet with what their husbands earn from farming which showed the chances of passing on the skill were far from encouraging.

“It’s hard for us to sell our ‘inabal’,” said Manang Ines as interpreted by Brenda.

Inabal is the abaca textile used for blouses, capri pants, tube skirts, sling bands and blankets.

“It’s difficult to make money from this business,” said Manang Ines, who still possessed a keen eye for detail in working out designs representing crocodiles, human figures, birds, plants and stars along with geometric patterns used also by Manobo weavers.

Her niece, Limlim Antala, 54, a native of Tudaya, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, took after her own mother to help add to the family coffers.

She remembers how to do the warp and weft in turning out traditional abaca cloth that was being pushed to near extinction by nylon and other synthetic fibers.

“Noong una, uso. Ngayon, din na uso. (Before, it was in fashion. Now, it’s no longer trendy),” Manang Limlim told me, adding that three decades of weaving have destined her to a life at the loom.

Manang Ines and  Manang Limlim are  among the few remaining members of the Bogobo-Tagabawas tribe at their ancestral domain near Mt. Apo in the town of Sta. Cruz.

“I’m lucky and my fellow Bagobos are lucky, too, if there are festivals in the province,” Antala said. “There are many visitors who buy our products.”

The Kadayawan Festival this August is providential.

Proud of her native craft, Manang Limlim described kadayawan as a tapestry that brought together thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.

She said weavers like her get to earn just enough to tide them over until another festival comes around.

An abaca-woven blouse goes for P300 to P700 while a matching lower garment fetches from P600 to P2,500, according to Anatala, who has turned her nipa hut into a workplace and display area rolled into one.

In an interview, Senator Loren Legarda, chairman on cultural communities, said native weavers formed part of our nationhood.

“The Tudaya School of Living Tradition of the Bagobo Tagawa Community, along with other (similar) schools link us to many of the forgotten facets of our identity,” she said, noting the need to teach traditional arts, crafts, music and practices to young generations.

Legarda said about 15 million indigenous people belonging to 110 ethnic groups deserved to be protected along with their unique skills.

“Their fabrics are beautiful weaves, but we should go beyond. Each strand and bead painstakingly put together speak of their culture and heritage,” she said. (end)

SEX FOR ’40 something'

BY MACON RAMOS-ARANETA

SOME men in their ’40 something’ may encounter difficulties in gaining full erection or have lost sex drives.

Based on the survey entitled “Ideal Sex in Asia,” conducted by Harris Interactive Asia, a full-service global market research firm, erection hardness has been considered a significant factor to attain the ideal sexual experience with a sex partner.

The European Association of Urology developed a scale which measures erection hardness and quality, known as the Erection Hardness Score (ERS).

A Grade 1 score depicts a penis that is larger, but not hard. For Grade 2, the penis is hard, but not hard enough for penetration while Grade 3 is a penis that is hard enough for penetration, but not completely hard. Grade 4 ultimately is a penis which is completely hard and fully rigid.

EHS Grade 4 erection hardness is correlated with better health and higher feelings of self-worth than EHS Grade 3 erections.

However, not all men are capable of reaching “optimal erection” such as Grade 4 because some men have erection problems hindering the nerves or blood vessels that play an important role in the sexual arousal process.

The erection problem is known as Erectile Dysfunction (ED). This pertains to men’s inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for mutual sexual satisfaction.

ED is commonly caused by diabetes, high-blood pressure, liver disease, obesity, stroke as well as psychological factors like stress and trauma, and hormonal imbalance, among many others.

DOH Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa said the most popular brand among the prescribed treatment pills for ED is Viagra, developed and marketed by pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc.

Viagra is also called the “Blue Pill” due to its color. It is formulated as blue, film-coated rounded-diamond shaped tablets equivalent to 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg of sildefanil for oral administration. It is generally taken by men suffering from impotence, thirty minutes or an hour before sexual intercourse.

When the effect of Viagra sets in, a man will be able to engage in sexual activity. In many cases, he can achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity.

Viagra improves the following aspects of sexual function: frequency, firmness and maintenance of erections; frequency of orgasm and level of desire; frequency, satisfaction and enjoyment of intercourse and overall relationship satisfaction.

Aside from the active ingredient sildenafil citrate, each tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: microcrystalline cellulose, anhydrous dibasic calcium phosphate, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, hypromellose, titanium dioxide, lactose, triacetin, and FD & C Blue #2 aluminum lake.

Herbosa however said there other available potency pills for ED like Levitra and Cialis, but they are not so famous as Viagra. He related that Viagra was originally formulated to treat hypertension, but it was later used for ED.

“When the Viagra tablet was undergoing study in the United Kingdom in the 1990s, some men came back for their dose because their sex life improved,” said Herbosa.

Because of this, he said the drug was developed and used as a remedy for ED. But he warned using Viagra without doctor’s prescription especially if a man is hypertensive or diabetic.

He cautioned against using Viagra if one has heart problems or heart-related diseases because it can trigger a heart attack and could even be fatal.

“So one needs to see a doctor before using the drug to ensure that there will be no contraindications,” said the DOH official.

He also said that Viagra and other potency drugs should be approved by the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration (BFAD).

After sildefanil was discovered to treat impotence, Pfizer decided to commercialize the drug as Viagra. It was then patented in 1996 and approved by the US food and Drug Administration as a cure for ED on March 27, 1998.

With this, Viagra became the first oral treatment approved for the use of men with ED in the United States.

Later that year, Viagra was openly sold in the country, and proved to be a huge success. From 1999 to 2011, it recorded sales of more than $1 billion capsules.

Due to this, Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical firm, launched a full-fledged marketing strategy to promote the use of Viagra (Sildenafil) for ED.

In 2000, the drug swept a whooping 92 percent share of the global market sales of prescribed ED tablets.  But in 2007, the sales of Viagra drastically dropped due to the entry of its rival brands - Cialis and Levitra.

Also, several other counterfeits and clones of Viagra mushroomed in the market. These fake Viagra also had their share in the market.

Pfizer Inc. senior medical manager Dr. James Wee said the prescription-only sildefanil drug or Viagra has helped more than 35 million men around the world improved their sex lives since it became available in 1998.

He said majority of those who took Viagra achieved Grade 4 erections, regardless of their erection grade prior to treatment.

He noted that the drug could cure erection difficulties as it helps re-establish the process of improved blood flow to the penis.

Achievement of a penile erection in males is largely an application of basic principles of hydraulics. Stimulation of the nerves innervating the penis causes the dilation of the deep arteries supplying blood to the penis. The large amount of blood entering the penis engorges the cavernous blood sinuses comprising much of the penis volume. This engorgement in turn acts to compress the veins draining blood from the penis. The increased inflow and decreased outflow of blood causes an erection. Cessation of nervous impulses to the penis acts to abolish the erection.

But Wee  reminded the public that sildefanil drug should be brought only from FDA-licensed pharmacies to protect them from getting the fake ones.

He said counterfeit sildenafil drug in the market may cause serious threat to health. He said patients may experience unexpected side effects, allergic reactions and worsening of their medical condition. He said it could even cause death.

Pfizer has repeatedly called on the public to be more vigilant in the use of impotence drugs due to the proliferation of counterfeits. One example is the MagnaRX drugs, which are being sold in drugstores in Binondo and Ongpin, Manila.

MagnaRX, similar to Viagra, appears to be sourced from China and purports to treat erectile dysfunction (ED).

The cost of Viagra are the following: P880.50 for 100 mg; P685, 50 mg and P511.50, 25 mg. Cialis comes in only one preparation, 20 mg and amounts to P796.75 per tablet. A 20-mg Levitra tablet costs P787.50 and 10 mg, P615.50.

WHO Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies Technical officer Catherine Dauphin said more than 50 percent of medicines purchased over the internet, which is fast becoming an ‘emerging market” for fake drugs, are counterfeit.

She averred using fake drugs could adversely affect treatment failure or result to death, increased resistances and erosion of public confidence in health regulators, services and professionals.

While many people died due to the use of counterfeit medicines, she said these cases are not reported.

Dauphin’s views were supported by Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) president Reiner W. Gloor pointed out that the counterfeiting of both branded and generic medicines could have grave consequences on health such as drug resistance, disability and death.

Unlike other counterfeit commodities, he said fake medicines pose a direct threat to the lives and health of Filipino patients.

Counterfeit medicines, he said, contain active ingredients that are either too strong or weak or may not contain any active ingredients at all. Many of these fake pharmaceutical products also have hazardous contents such as toxic and contaminated chemicals, pain, and floor wax.

Pfizer Global Security senior director for Asia Pacific Scott Davis said 90% of counterfeit medicines in the world at some point have some contract with the internet. .

Although there were deaths due to online medicines which turned out to be fake, Davis admitted ‘tracking is so difficult’ “”Such is a complex issue.”

In 2008, BFAD recalled the sale and distribution of Penrex herbal supplement for men purportedly to attain erection. It was discovered that Penrex contained Sildenafil Citrate, a known active ingredient of prescribed drugs for erectile dysfunction, but the product is marketed as a food supplement.

BFAD said it should not contain any active ingredient for drug products like sildefanil as it will endanger the lives of men who are diabetic, hypertensive or with heart diseases. It could cause rapid heart palpitation.

The other branded drug for ED, Vardenafil is sold under the Levitra. It is co-marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline and Schering-Plough.

As of 2005, the co-promotion rights of GSK on Levitra have been returned to Bayer in many markets outside the U.S. In Italy, Bayer sells vardenafil as Levitra and GSK sells it as Vivanza.

The recommended dose of Levitra is 10 mg per day taken an hour before intercourse. If no side effects are experienced the dosage can be increased up to 20 mg. In case of adverse effects the dose is reduced to 5 mg daily. Do not take more than one tab of Levitra a day.

The third available branded drug is Tadalafil, currently marketed in pill form for treating under the name Cialis. It initially was developed by the biotechnology company ICOS, and then again developed and marketed world-wide by Lilly ICOS, LLC, the joint venture of ICOS Corporation and Eli Lilly and Company. The yellow, film-coated and almond-shaped tablet comes in 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg doses, but 20 mg is the only preparation available in the country’s biggest chain of drugstores.

Tadalafil is also manufactured and sold under the name of Tadacip by the Indian pharmaceutical company Ciplain. It comes in doses of 10 mg and 20 mg.

On November 21, 2003 the US Food and Drug Administration approved its sale in the country as the third third ED prescription drug pill.

Cialis's 36-hour effectiveness earned it the nickname, "The Weekend Pill"; like sildenafil and vardenafil, tadalafil is recommended as an 'as needed' medication. Cialis is the only one of the three that is also offered as a once-daily medication.

Former DOH secretary, Dr. Jaime Tan Galvez,  said at  present there are only two FAD-approved herbal medicines for ED available in the local market. These are Enduranz and Monster Excyte.

He admitted though these herbal cure, which are marketed as food supplement, cannot be at par with the branded potency drugs in terms of effectivity. “The effect of branded potency pills for ED is instant unlike their herbal counterparts,” said Galvez Tan.

However, he said Enduranz and Monster Excyte do not have any side effects because they are purely made of herbs. “Since they are pure herbal, they have no side effects,” said Galvez Tan who practices intergrative medicine.

Enduranz, which comes in 350 mg capsule, has been described as a multi-herb product containing banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa), malunggay (Moringa oleifera), takip kuhol or gotu kola (Centella asiatica).

Gotu kola is also known to be an “aphrodisiac” because it enhances mental abilities, strengthens blood vessels, and improves circulation, wound healing, anti-stress and works against rehumatism, among others.

Malunggay is known to have potent anti-oxidant properties. It has high calcium content.Banaba is known to improve glucose and lipid metabolism.

Tongkat ali or long jack (Eurycoma longifolia) is the active ingredient of Enduranz. It is the herbal supplement that has a unique property to bring back to normal the testosterone level that has declined with age.

It all appears to stimulate the availability of natural testosterone which otherwise is not available as a result of advancing age. It can also help in male infertility problems, morphology, activity (motility) and improve sperms count.

Studies have shown that Tongkat ali can produce arousal, libido and sexual motivation. The overall effect of Tongkat ali is gradual and safe

Enduranz is sold at P20.50 per capsule. It is advised that to get the best results, a capsule should be taken daily before breakfast or may even be raised to 2 capsules, one to be taken before breakfast and the other before dinner before strenuous activity.

The other  male enhancement product, sexual booster Monster Excyte is  a dietary supplement which increases stamina, sex drive and virility.  One or two capsules should be taken 45 minutes before any sexual activity.

This dietary supplement removes stress and tension which are the main reasons of erectile dysfunction. Since it is made of all herbal ingredients, it is not harmful.

Monster Excyte promises a longer and harder erection and improved sexual performance.

As the “ideal Sex in Asia” survey stated: “The harder, the better.” (end)