It was much publicized the commitment of Sec. Martin Andanar to help out in seeking assistance for the medical problems of colleagues in the media. Particularly on recurring costs such as for dialysis which has to be undertaken for a lifetime by those who have kidney problems. Well and good, and we must be very thankful to the top honcho of the government’s communications department.
But we in the media are not asking ourselves the very important question on how to lessen, if not fully avoid, such health problems and the requisite costs of their management. Are the media groups or organizations around giving attention to measures to avoid such problems in the future for the benefit of the YOUNG ONES, the upcoming generation of media practitioners?
Or are we just being reactionaries coming up only with solutions for problems that we the YOUNG ONCE have to contend with.
While the movement for free dialysis for all who need it is one that will benefit this generation and upcoming ones, there appear not to be any collective effort towards decreasing the number of those who will have to undergo the process in the future. This, even with the mind boggling number of those knocking on all kinds of doors that can be knocked on for financial assistance for dialysis costs. So much so that politicians and even ordinary business firms are being swamped with appeals for such help. One public utility firm even considered buying a dialysis machine and putting up a dialysis facility considering the numerous pleas for financial help to keep people alive who have to be periodically hooked up with those blood cleansing machineries.
In simple terms, have we been helping ourselves and are we helping the younger generation to avoid having to be attached to a machine to be able to cleanse their blood?
Or is it more enjoyable to have a lot of pulutan and alcoholic beverages every time there is a gathering whether of the family or barkada kind or the media group kind?
Did we ever receive any communication from the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC) for a healthier lifestyle activity? We have yet to receive that one. It might be in transit.**