Wanted: Warmer ties with RP and Beijing

While I was writing this piece, my TV was tuned to ANC’s HeadStart with Karen Davila, watching an interview dubbed “Providing Better Health Services for Filipinos” which featured Dr. Edgardo Cortez, CEO of St. Luke’s Medical Center and Dr. David Hayes, Enterprise Medical Director of the famous Mayo Clinic where they announced a partnership between the two hospitals. I found that interview to be very interesting because it begs the question, why would Mayo Clinic be interested to partner with a Philippine hospital? The other question is… what good is this for the ordinary Filipino?

I once had a cousin who proudly worked with the Mayo Clinic and she told me that they were light years ahead with the rest of the world when it came to helping cancer patients. So I’m sure that this partnership between the Mayo Clinic and St. Luke’s Medical Center would certainly usher advantages for the Philippines, except that I think ANC gave a wrong title to that interview as it is the up and coming partnership between St. Luke’s Medical Center and Mayor Clinic entitled “Providing better health services for Filipinos.” Frankly speaking… only rich Filipinos living in Metro Manila can ever hope to enter St. Luke’s Medical Center. The rest of us can only dream that this situation would be of use to us.

* * *

President Rodrigo Duterte is off for his first official four-day state visit to the People’s Republic of China in the hope that finally relations between the two countries would thaw after a frigid six years under the Aquino Presidency, which was originally triggered during the Hong Kong hostage crisis in Quirino Grandstand where eight Chinese tourists were killed when a deranged bemedalled police officer run amuck and held their bus hostage… and thanks to satellite TV, the whole world knew what kind of keystone cops came to rescue those beleaguered Hong Kong tourists.

But worst than their deaths is the fact that the new Aquino Presidency at that time did not extend any apologies to China and to make matters worst we had a President who was photographed inspecting the damaged tour bus giving the world a smiling face…when we expected Pres. Aquino to show a serious, somber look. But that’s all behind us now.

While I do not want to pre-empt what Pres. Duterte would be getting from this Chinese visit… there is only one concern that the ordinary Filipino would want him to get… that our fishermen off Pangasinan can resume fishing without interference from Chinese fishing vessels of the Chinese Coast Guard. Anything else that Pres. Duterte can bring home as “Pasalubong” we can consider a bonus.

Of course I’m optimistic that the ties between China and the Philippines would improve… more so that November is fast approaching and December is just at the next corner and this means, it is Christmas time and China after all makes all sort of gifts for children…. It is an industry that even the Americans submit they lost to China. China is open to business and 100-million Filipinos is a market waiting to be tapped by China.

Of course we submit that a great majority of Filipinos still do not trust China and it can only be due to decades of animosity. Chinese traders have been in the Philippines long before the European conquistadores claimed these islands in the name of their Spanish King making a lot of money for themselves while leaving most Filipinos in poverty. But I don’t think Pres. Duterte can solve these centuries old biases in one presidential visit. What is important to us is that Pres. Duterte bring home the proverbial “bacon”… call it a Chinese ham if you wish…but anything that the Chinese would give us… we will accept in friendship.

* * *

It’s all in the headlines… that the Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales will not probe Sen. Leila de Lima. She cited that there was a lack of leads to establish links between the convicts of the National Bilibid Penitentiary (NBP) who testified against her during the Senate and Congressional hearings that necessitate the filing of a case against Sen. De Lima. Where was the Ombudsman when the Senate and Congress held those hearings, many of which were given the red carpet by TV networks, showing these proceedings live for TV?

So in the end… what did the Filipino people go through with the very public televised Senate and Congressional hearings… only to be shunned by an uncaring Office of the Ombudsman? When confronted about her illicit affair with her driver Ronnie Dayan (who remains missing) Sen. De Lima merely said that there were “snippets of truth” in those allegations. If at all, the Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has something in common with Sen. De Lima… they are both “Yellow bloodied!”

* * *

Email: [email protected] or [email protected].