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By Pepito B. Degamo Provincial Administrator E-mail ad.
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Website: www.dongdegamo.com Recent events point out that the people of Zamboanga del Sur owes so much to Gov. Aurora E. Cerilles and Cong. Antonio H. Cerilles for effectively leading the fight against illegal drugs in the province. In equal vigor should we also thank Board Member Ernesto Mondarte for his anti-drug advocacy, PNP Prov. Director P/SSupt. Ramon Ochotorena, P/CInsp. Alikhan A. Yusop of the 905th Prov. Mobile Group, P/CInsp. Michael P. Palermo, Pagadian City Chief of Police, and P/Insp. Rommel Etbew, and the PDEA people lead by 101 Rommel Torres in their relentless drive against illegal drug traders, in making numerous successful raids, searches and arrests. And to the seemingly lone crusading lady in the prosecution office, Asst. Provincial Prosecutor Mary Ann Wong Tugbang we also send our accolades for courageously prosecuting drug criminals in court. These people are my, and everybody’s, heroes. Thanks to these people who risk their lives, and even, career, Zamboanga del Sur now enjoys a reduced hazard to drug trafficking. It is rumored that shabu prices now have skyrocketed to many times over the previous months prices because of the difficulty of getting the supply. This only means that the campaign of Gov. Cerilles against illegal drugs has taken off and has proved to be effective, primarily, in the supply-reduction drive. Although, much has to be done yet, it would appear that it is only a matter of time when the drug problem will be finally eradicated from the face of the province to achieve the goal set by Gov. Cerilles to have a drug-free Zamboanga del Sur in 2010. On this score, Gov. Cerilles is calling on all concerned and responsible citizens to enlist themselves and assist her in this fight in whatever capacity anybody can. It may start by giving relevant information to the police or her office. People, too may organize themselves, and civic organizations may take this advocacy against illegal drugs. “When all people will get themselves actively involved in the fight against illegal drugs, to whom do the drug lords and syndicates turn to for support?” mused the Governor. *** Death comes softly every day as our body continuously wears out from the daily grind of living. Though, this is a fact, yet, nobody wants to hear this thing, especially, those who love life. And who doesn’t love life when it offers so many pleasures to the living? Death sails with time so that it will always win in the end. Meanwhile, keeping away from death is an endless struggle and the business of keeping alive becomes, and will always be, a great burden to the living. *** Thus, I feel my decline. I think many people of my age, fiftyish or something, feel the same, too. Maybe, it’s time for me to confront the subjects which people always avoided: old age and death. In our youth, health and fitness could be carelessly taken for granted. They come so naturally then, that we feel invincible and immortal. But we see people falling ill and dead which constantly remind us of our own vulnerability to diseases and death. And as we grow older and weaker, staying healthy becomes increasingly an uphill struggle. This struggle to keep healthy becomes even more difficult when the very fear and anxiety of growing old and sick dominate our minds. We may die literally of anxiety before we die of old age. But to cope with anxiety, we either deny its existence or pretend, or try to believe that everything’s alright when it may be not. The other option is to accept the reality and do everything to delay or, if possible, reverse the situation. So, we grow old and die. But while we accept this fact, we may create a challenge for ourselves: delay the aging process, prolong youthfulness, and live a vigorous long life. If the foregoing should be the goal of any person, the same should need a continuing study and research, of the body’s physiological, bio-chemical, etc., processes, (short of studying a medical course) and make corresponding health promoting actions in consonance with or application of the acquired knowledge. But alongside scientific knowledge, caring for one’s health should be topped with a lot of common sense, too. The state of being healthy is not a given thing but apparently acquired through years of living a so-called healthy lifestyle. Among other health threatening vices, this requires permanently shying away from smoking and excessive alcohol, and adopting a sensible diet plan and exercise program. Other factors like genetics and environment also play important role in achieving healthy long life but these are at most a given condition which we can do little to change. For the environment, the most that one can do is to avoid living in a polluted or extremely cold or hot places, and away from areas torn by violence and conflict. In the latter situation death or injury could come in as a surprise by wayward bullets or other deadly objects. (How will you characterize Pagadian City?) The ideal place of abode should be in a sparsely populated area with plenty of trees and vegetation on the surroundings to access clean air, in the first place. The areas of our discussion, therefore, will focus on diet, exercise, and positive attitude. The right attitude, which includes cheerfulness, optimism, and the craving to know and learn more, should be the prerequisite for a healthy long life. The proper attitude is so important that, in fact, the common trait that emerges on centenarians (people living 100 years and above) is their ability to stay happy most of the time in their lives. I call these major life extending factors as ADE, where A, stands for attitude; D, for diet; and E, for exercise. One of the most important rule in the quest for healthy long life, as in other activities, would seem to be to simplify things whenever possible. One can simplify if he has thorough knowledge of the things he is working at so that he can go from general principles to specific issues at hand; from the macro, so-called, to the micro of things. The rule of simplification can be applied to longevity-promoting diet. Most experts, including John Robbins, author of the popular book, Healthy at 100, believe that plant-based diet (these includes fruits, whole-grains cereals, and vegetables) should be promotive of healthy, long life. For obvious reasons, since vegetables and fruits do not contain cholesterol and sugar – the mischievous duo of food substances (if consumed in abundant amount and not properly metabolized by the right amount of exercise). Fruits and vegetables, too, are rich in vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants which are vital to the maintenance of our health. Robbins, however, does not entirely advocate for a meatless diet since meat is our primary source of protein (basic building block of the body). But the ingestion of vegetables and fruits should be taken more often and in increased proportion. Complete protein (combination of different amino acids) can also be sourced out from beans and other leguminous vegetables. Robbins suggested further to avoid processed and refined foods which usually come in attractive packages. Robbins suggested eating foods in its natural state as much as possible. This means that if a particular food can be eaten raw, then it would be best to eat it raw. But if it has to be cooked, then it should be best cooked in the simplest way without chemical “enhancers” like, additives, artificial flavor or color. In all probability, these are chemical substances which may be harmful to the body. In these regard, we admire the true Filipino dishes, particularly, the Visayan style, like the sinugba, tinola, inun-onan, kinilaw, etc., because they are simply cooked or prepared, yet, they are tasty enough to whet our appetites and nutritious enough to give one a vigorous health and long life. And as a way of temporarily ending this piece, we say that while illness and death lurks in every way, health and long life seem to summon those who are prepared to take the challenge and do whatever is required to be done according to the generally established principles of healthy living. Probably, this will take a lot of learning (and re-learning) which could mean a burden or a pleasure depending, again, on the attitude of a person. But long life is not an impossibility. Those believers in the Bible will swear to Methuselah that ancient patriarchs had extra-ordinarily long lives. For ordinary humans, we have had the longest lived person recorded with verified birth documents. She was Jeanne Calment, a Frenchwoman, who lived up to 122 years old. On the other hand, the number of centenarians is fast growing throughout the world. Many experts believe that long life is more than just luck; it seems to start with the will and a habit of living a healthy lifestyle. Though, however, unless one has a clear goal with his life, which should have a character of nobility or worthiness to himself, his loved ones, or to humanity, he should have no business in living longer than is necessary and usual. *** |
