House, DND pay tribute to Biazon

THE House of Representatives on Monday gave its final salute to “model citizen and brave soul” former senator Rodolfo “Pong” Biazon, who passed away on Monday, Independence Day.

Aside from being a former senator, Biazon was also a former House member and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff. He was 88.

“A brave soul has been summoned back to God’s army on a day that we Filipinos associate with bravery. That is a fitting tribute to Pong Biazon by the Almighty, telling us to emulate the great Filipino that he was,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said.

Mun tinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon said his father was diagnosed with lung cancer in July and underwent the appropriate treatment.

T his year, he said, however, his father caught pneumonia twice, the second being more serious than the first which had further weakened his lungs.

“It is with deep sadness tha t we announce that the bell has rung and the last Taps has been sung for General Rodolfo Gaspar Biazon, former AFP chief of staff, member of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives,” he said.

“It is per fectly fitting that today, Independence Day, at around 8:30 a.m., the soldier who dedicated his life and laid it on the line in defending freedom and democracy, has been set free from the pains of this world,” Biazon added.

Moreover, Romualdez said, “We send our deepest condolences and prayers to the Biazon family, especially to his widow Monserrat, and son Ruffy, who is also a former House colleague. We salute Pong Biazon for his inspiring and selfless service to the nation.”

“Biaz on was a model citizen. He lost his father at seven years old and was forced to work to provide for himself and his siblings at such a young age. Poverty did not faze him; with sheer determination, he put himself through school to gain the education that he needed to be somebody. In the end, he became somebody that would look up to,” said the Speaker.

A member of the Philippine Militar y Academy (PMA) Class of 1961, Biazon climbed the ranks of the AFP to become its 21st chief-of-staff three decades later.

H e was a decorated military man, collecting honors such as the Distinguished Service Star, Gold Cross Medal, Outstanding Achievement Medal, Bronze Cross Medal, Military Merit Medals with one spearhead device and four bronze anahaws, Military Commendation Medals, Long Service Medal, Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal, Luzon Anti Dissidence Campaign Medal, Visayas Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal, Mindanao Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal, Jolo and Sulu Campaign Medal, Disaster Relief & Rehabilitation Operation Ribbon, Combat Commander’s Badge, and AFP Parachutist Badge.

Romualdez also hailed Biazon for his long body of work as a legislator. Biazon was a House member from 2010 to 2016; before that he served as a senator from 1992 to 1995; and from 1998 to 2010.

B iazon’s filed measures that became laws include Republic Act (RA) No. 9208, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act; RA No. 9161, reforming the renting industry; RA No. 7835, Comprehensive and Integrated Shelter Finance Act; RA No. 7898, An Act providing for the Modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; RA No. 7742, Changing the mandatory membership to the Pag-Ibig Fund; RA No. 7901, creation of the region of Caraga (Region XIII); RA No. 7889, establishing the University of the Philippines Mindanao; RA No. 7863, the Home Guaranty Corporation Law; and RA No. 7691, Expanding the Jurisdiction of MTC’s, MCTC and METC.

Also pursued b y Biazon were Joint Resolution No. 7, increasing the subsistence allowance of soldiers and policemen; RA No. 8763, amending the Home Guarantee

Corporation Act; RA No. 9040, Tax exemption of allowances and benefits for members of the A rmed Forces of the Philippines; RA No. 9049, Granting monthly gratuity and privileges to awarded of the Medal of Valor; and RA No. 10354, or the Reproductive Health Act. “SaludokamisayoGeneral. You’re one of a kind,” Romualdez said.

DND mourns Biazon’s passing THE Department of National Defense is mourning with the family and friends of former Armed Forces chief of staff General Rodolfo Biazon, who died on Monday as announced by his family.

The 88-year-old Biazon, also a former senator, died of pneumonia, according to his family.

“The Department of National Defense extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of former Chief of Staff Armed Forces of the Philippines and former Senator Rodolfo Biazon,” the DND said in statement released by its spokesman, Arsenio “Popong” Andolong.

Biazon, a Marine general, served as chief of staff of the AFP during the term of the late former president Corazon C. Aquino.

After his military service, he became a senator and a congressional district representative.

“Sen. Biazon’s illustrious career spanned his active service in the military as an officer in the Philippine Marine Corps, and later entering public service as a member of the House of Representatives and the Senate,” the DND said.

“Throughout his decades-long service to the Filipino nation, Sen. Biazon embodied patriotism, integrity, and commitment to the protection of the country’s freedom and its democratic institutions,” it added.

The DND said the former senator “leaves a legacy worthy of emulation by current and future generations of Filipinos.” Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz and Rene Acosta

As we reach the three-year phase-out period of dental amalgam in connection with the implementation of the AO 2020-0020, we will continue to be vigilant—the use of dental amalgam for dental restorative procedures in dental clinics and schools should no longer be allowed, and the exclusion of dental amalgam and its capsules, as well as liquid mercury from the list of registrable medical devices in the Philippines, should be properly observed. We applaud the Philippine government for its continued efforts to protect the public from mercury. BAN Toxics’ monitoring reveals that dental amalgam use and availability have dropped significantly since, and we continue to urge distributors and practitioners to comply with the policy and transition to safer alternatives,” Jam Lorenzo from the organization’s Policy Development and Research Unit said in a statement.

Dental amalgam, commonly known as silver fillings, is used to repair decayed or broken teeth. It often contains silver, tin, small amounts of copper and zinc, and mercury. Mercury is cited by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 chemicals of major concern due to its adverse impacts to human health and the environment. The chemical is known to negatively impact our nervous, digestive, and immune systems.

To recall, the Department of Health (DOH) issued AO No. 2020-0020, otherwise known as “Guidelines on the Phase out of Mercury Use in Dental Restorative Procedures” in 2020. The AO covers the phasing-out on the importation, distribution, manufacture, storage, transport, handling, use (including dental schools and research) and disposal of dental amalgams in the Philippines.

Likewise, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued FDA Circular 2022-003, which aims to totally ban the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, sale, offer for sale, donation, transfer, and where applicable, the use, promotion, advertising, or sponsorship of mercury-added thermometers and sphygmomanometers along with dental amalgam capsules and liquid mercury for use in dental restorative purposes to protect human health from the adverse effects of mercury-added medical devices.

The Philippines ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a legally binding global treaty that seeks to protect human health and the environment from manmade emissions of mercury and mercury compounds. Since then, the country has ramped up its management of mercury in dentistry.

“We aim to educate the public about the dangers of mercury. We will continue to fight for the protection of our consumers from harmful products such as dental amalgam, and we reiterate the importance of complying with our mercury policies in the country for a toxics-free future for our children,” said Lorenzo.

T he group is currently conducting a study to assess the effectiveness of the ban on dental amalgam in clinics and educational institutions, a project in partnership with the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources with funding from the Ministry of Environment—Japan. Jonathan L. Mayuga