A simple happily ever after...
Cigarette: A killer that travels in packs Written by Henrylito D. Tacio (Author’s note: Every May 31, the global community observes World No Tobacco Day. This article explains why it is being commemorated.) „IT will indeed kill more people in the next two decades than HIV/AIDS, accidents, homicides, and suicides combined,” wrote Dr. Michael L. Tan in his column, “Pinoy Kasi.” “It kills and it disables, affecting not just the patient but their families and friends.” Tan is talking about smoking. “A cigarette is the only consumer product which, when used as desired, kills its consumer,” commented Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, former directorgeneral of World Health Organization (WHO). “The tobacco epidemic spares no nation and no people - four million unnecessary deaths per year, 11,000 every day.” Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer. This fact has been recognized in the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 1950s yet. Subsequent studies have confirmed this claim. “Scientific data shows that smoking is associated with 30-40 percent of all cancer deaths,” says Dr. Tanquilino Elicano, Jr., one of the country‟s cancer experts. “Cancer risk increases with intensity of the habit, duration and the amount of tar in the cigarettes.” But despite this, Filipinos continue to smoke. In fact, results from the study conducted by the National Nutrition and Health Survey showed that the smoking prevalence in the country is higher than that in Singapore (24.2 percent), Japan (47.4 percent) and the United States (24.1 percent). Unknowingly, lung cancer is just one of the many diseases smokers likely to get. Consider these: Emphysema: Emphysema is one of a group of lung diseases referred to as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that can interfere with normal breathing. Other diseases that come under COPD include asthma and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is a widespread disease of the lungs and people having this illness are particularly vulnerable to pneumonia, bronchitis, and other lung infections. Smokers are also likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems such as heart failure. “Slow drowning” is how some doctors describe those who die from emphysema. Heart attack: A person‟s chance of getting a heart attack increases by threefold if he smokes. Medical science says smoking promotes the hardening of the arteries and reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. “Cells in the heart muscle that do not receive enough oxygen-carrying More on page 5...
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Ay...Marinduque
l cia e p S ture Fea
Ni: NOEL V. MAGTURO
Techniques To Stop Smoking: 1. Stop immediately. They call it Cold turkey, and the person just decides to stop right there and then. 2. Seek a lung doctor for help. The doctor may prescribe some medicines, like Zyban or Champix, which increases the success rate of quitting. 3. Try nicotine replacement therapy (called NRT). Although currently off the local market, these nicotine preparations can help increase your likelihood to quit smoking. They come in the form of nicotine gum, nicotine patch and lozenges. However, you may need your doctor‟s help because some people also get addicted to the nicotine replacement. 4. Read about herbal alternatives. These herbal products are said to help smokers cope with withdrawal symp toms after they quit, such as irritability and tiredness. 5. Try other alternative methods. There are anecdotal re ports that hypnosis, acupuncture and behavioral thera py can help you quit. For best results, you can combine the strategies and tips outlined here to increase your chances of quit-
16 TIPS TO STOP SMOKING: 1. Be prepared. Set your mind on a date when you decide to stop smoking. 2. Change your surroundings. Remove all cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays in your home and workplace. Remove everything that could remind you of smoking, such as magazines, T-shirts and ashtrays. Stay away from friends who tempt you to smoke. Go to nonsmoking malls and restaurants. 3. Quit completely. Once you reach this quit date, don‟t think of smoking again. Not even a stick. 4. Avoid situations (called triggers) that tempt you to smoke. It could be a certain meal, a certain place or some people that give you the urge to smoke. Avoid them completely, especially during the first three months. It usually takes three months for you to overcome your dependency to nicotine. 5. Expect the first week to be the hardest. You will probably feel irritable, tired, and angry after you quit. But once you get over the hump, you will slowly feel better. The urge to smoke will still be there, but it‟s going to be more of a mental dependency rather than a physical dependency. 6. Stay strong. Don't give in to temptations. Every time you beat the temptation, you will be feel stronger later on. 7. Seek support from family and friends. Tell them you have stopped smoking, so they will know how to deal with you. Who knows, you might even inspire others to quit? 8. Visit your doctor often. Seek your doctor‟s help and counseling,
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especially if you are using quit-smoking aids and medicines 9. Do new things. Start a new activity so you will forget the times when you were still smoking. Eat lunch in a different place. Get busy with a new project. Do something that will break your old routine. Be happy and renewed. 10. Pamper yourself. Take a hot shower, exercise, or read a book. Do something pleasant and enjoyable. 11. Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. Take a sip or two of water when you start to feel the craving to smoke. 12. Get a regular exercise routine. Exercise three to five times a week, for around 30 minutes to an hour. Walking, swimming and sports activities are fine. Start slowly and increase your routine gradually. Exercise releases a “runner‟s high” and will lessen your urge to smoke. 13. Avoid drinking alcohol. Taking in alcohol lowers your success of quitting. Don‟t replace one bad habit with another. 14. Expect some weight gain. People who quit may gain around 5 to 10 pounds. That is why exercise and a healthy diet are important to control your weight. But don‟t use weight gain as an excuse to smoke again. The hazards of smoking are far more dangerous than a few pounds you can lose later on. 15. Take a break often and lighten your workload. Quitting can be a tiring process. Save your strength so you will have the willpower to stay clean. 16. Be prepared for temptations. Some people start smoking again within three months after quitting. Don‟t be discouraged. Many people need several attempts to quit before they finally succeed. Quitting may take some time but the rewards are tremendous. Good luck!
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DepED Region IV - MIMAROPA Communications Unit Office of the Secretary | Department of Education
DepEd calls for community participation on first day of school
======================== PASIG CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) is asking school heads to involve community leaders in the opening of classes, suggesting that they be present on the first flag ceremony of school year 2013-2014. “It takes an entire village to educate a child, therefore we must involve everyone on the first day,” Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC said. “From the parents to local leaders to representatives of the PNP, everyone who has a stake in the future of our children should be there to usher in the new school year.” The DepEd has advised its regional offices to coordinate with local authorities in preparation for school opening. Meanwhile a command conference was held at DepEd‟sOplanBalikEskwela (OBE) Command Center with government agencies involved in school opening. Present during the meeting were representatives of the PNP, DOH, DILG, MMDA, DTI, AFP, DOE, and PAGASAas well as utility companies Maynilad, Manila Water, and Meralco In the meeting OBE task force chair Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo, reiterated the DepEd‟s call for early registration. “This will help with overcrowding since we will be able to plan and allocate resources properly. It also helps if teachers don‟t get bogged down by administrative matters on June 3.” Mateo also added that the goal is for teachers to start Day 1 of SY 2013-2014 with lesson 1. “We should hit the ground running.”
MOA Signing of DENR and Mogpog Municipality
PHOTO NEWS: DENR MIMAROPA Regional Executive Director Edgardo O. Galeon shakes the hand of Mogpog Municipal Mayor Senen M. Livelo after the MOA Signing. Photo by: Benro Pacis
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ALAY sa SAMBAYANANG BOAKENYO at para sa KAHANDAANG PANGKALIGTASAN Mula sa 5% Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (MDRRF), pinundar ng pamahalaang bayan ang trak ng pamatay-sunog matapos hindi maipagkaloob ng DILG ang nakalaan sanang trak na ipinangako ng yumaong dating Kalihim Robredo. Sa kabila ng bagong trak na ito, sana nawa'y huwag sapitin ng ating bayan ang anumang sakuna o kalamidad. Mabuhay ang Bayan ng Boak! —Roberto M. Madla Municipal Mayor Boac, Marinduque
CIGARETTE… FROM PAGE 2 blood begin to die,” says Dr. Rafael D. Castillo, a cardiologist who works at the Manila Doctor‟s Hospital. “The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart.” Rheumatoid arthritis: Arthritis may be the oldest known ailment on earth. Mummies uncovered in Egypt had it, prehistoric man had it, and dinosaurs had it. There are several forms of arthritis and the most common is rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the body‟s immune systems attacks the joints leaving sufferers in severe pain and with reduced mobility. Initial analysis of data from a research done by the Stanford University showed that smoking is a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis among men. Impotence: Until the early 1970s, experts thought that most erection problems pointed to underlying problems in the psyche. Today, the medical community recognizes that almost half of all impotent men have a physical or structural problem that‟s at least partly responsible. Take smoking, for instance. Smoking has also been observed to cause slower penile erection among men because excessive nicotine in the bloodstream “causes constriction of the penile artery, the blood vessel necessary in male erection,” to quote the words of Dr. Priscilla Tablan, a chest physician at the Lung Center of the Philippines. She also said smoking might seriously hamper a man‟s potency or ability to sire children. Snoring: “Thou dost snore distinctly,” wrote William
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William Shakespeare in “The Tempest.” “There‟s meaning in thy snores.” Men are more likely to snore than women. In the Philippines, for instance, snoring affects approximately 50 percent of men and only 20 percent of women. Snuff snoring by snuffing cigarettes. “Smokers tend to be snorers,” says Dr. Earl V. Dunn, a researcher at the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Medical Center Sleep Laboratory. “So, stop smoking.” Cervical cancer: “Cervical cancer cases in developing countries of the region are almost four times more numerous than in developed countries,” reports Dr. Gauden Galea, cancer specialist of the WHO regional office in Manila. In the Philippines, more than 4,000 new cases are reported each year. According to the Singapore Cancer Society, some of the risk factors associated with cervical cancer include: sexual intercourse at an early age; multiple sex partners; genital infections such as herpes and human papilloma virus (HPV); and first pregnancy before the age of 20. Osteoporosis: Cigarette smoking lowers estrogen levels, says Dr. Kenneth Cooper, author of the book, Preventing Osteoporosis. And women with lower estrogen levels are at increased risk for developing osteoporosis. Literally “porous bones,” osteoporosis is a “thinning” of the bones that occurs when the calcium that keeps them strong has seeped out. More on page 12...
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By Isabel P. Ball The Moriones Festival is a mainstay of the Lent Season in Marinduque. It’s greatly evolved since I was an adolescent. Back then, the Moriones, wearing the same fierce mask on, roamed the streets playing kalutang and playing scare tactics of chasing us and reactively we scamper away to safety of our homes. Now much choreographed, they parade in town with more get ups and masks expressions, still fierce but softened by the blue eyes and stark sharp features of Caucasians. Women Moriones are now showing up in parade donning glamorous feminine attire complete with capes and heeled shoes, to boot. I was reminded of the beauteous Xena, the Warrior Princess, TV serials of the mid-90s. Then, there are the legion of pre-teen Moriones boys and girls and adolescent ages, seemingly to assure the continuity, if not perpetuity, of the yearly unique event only in Marinduque. At the Expo Park are new developments catering to hip hops. Drinking parlors offering booze of many selections, but dominated by the biggest beer producer in the country. Food stands cater to a westernized diet of locally concocted hamburgers, grilled and fried chicken, hotdogs, fries and plenty of soda drinks, to powdered local fruit flavored smoothies. Original fruits are prohibitive in price, so their preparations have less fruits but immersed in lots of sugar. Live bands resound and blasting to the ears of the laidback locals of this quaint town. It seems very inappropriate to the solemn and pious religious occasion. Increasing influx of locals and foreign tourists to the island filling in hotels and resorts, and seen milling around curiously about on the streets of Boac contributing to the economy is a payoff for Tourism efforts. These robust activities are in seeming competition with the construction frenzy that was started few weeks before by the municipality, when construction crews descended and unfailingly began the constructions of temporary shelters for some vendors right on the streets and lanes in the old market place. Soon, another crew bearing demolition hammers started pounding in earnest on some old structures, seemingly without regard to posterity or history of the buildings. Some of the structures were vintages or landmark stores of some colorful past of Boac. Working like clockwork, the construction crew completed the shelters that now house the stores away from the demolished structures. But they only leave the community quite confused in trying to locate their particular or favorite stores in the market place. While it could be a minor hindsight on part of the municipality planners, but they also left the heart of town in ruins, unsightly to all eyes, much more to the tourists, on this very busy Holy Week season. For all intents and purposes, the construction could have been started much earlier, to stifle pigments of suspicion. From what has been heard talk of the town, a former market site has been chosen and built on a facility much improved and suitable for the town Public Market. But when completed, ironically, according to some sources, the place was altogether rejected by the merchants turned whimsical that the location is simply far for their access. To sensible minds, the public market issue is provocative. There seems an evident lapse committed on the part of the administration that took on the construction of the former market place. Spending a sizable fund, estimably, few million pesos, to build a worthless structure is a white elephant, hardly becoming to a strapped-for-funds local government. A standing protocol, I would assume, governing any sensible government is to outreach to people, determine their needs and obtain their concurrence on planned public projects. The public market is one such activity requiring the public acceptance to it. Was the public involved in the decision making at all? If it is, then the administration should stand strong to enforce what has been agreed upon, with no hint of any political acquiesce.
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Tubbataha announces best video winner By Victoria Asuncion S. Mendoza
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, (PIA) -- Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) announced recently the winners in Best Tubbataha Video Plug school-based competition dubbed the “Beauty, Bounty, and a Shared Heritage: 25 Years of Protecting Tubbataha”. The theme encouraged contestants to create a 30-second video showing Tubbataha’s beauty and value as the Philippine’s premiere diving destination. Video footages used in this competition were generously provided by TXL Productions, a long time supporter of Tubbataha Reesf that has an extensive library of underwater videos taken in the park. The winners are Xandrino Mangunay, overall Best Video Award, with P20,000 cash prize; Jake Soriano, second place with P10,000 cash prize; and Eero Francisco, third place with P5,000 cash prize. The winners are from De La Salle College of St. Benilde which collaborated with TMO for this competition. Cash prizes and trophies were provided by the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. and TMO. Announcement and awarding of the winners were done this weekend at the Atrium level of SM Megamall. A total of 21 entries were submitted for the competition from which six were shortlisted by the TMO. The six shortlisted entries were uploaded in the Tubbataha Facebook fan page for online voting on March 27 to April 30, 2013. The other finalists were Nikki Mendoza, Celina Peñaflorida, and Jose Mojica. The Best Tubbataha Video Plug competition is part of the year-round activities in celebration of the Tubbataha’s 25th year anniversary. Twenty-five years ago, President Corazon Aquino declared Tubbataha Reefs as no-take marine protected area, the first National Marine Park in the country. In 2012, Tubbataha was ranked among the world’s best dive sites and was also recognized by international marine scientists as a model for conservation in the Coral Triangle Region. (LBR/ VSM/TMO/PIA-Palawan)
BUENAVISTA, MARINDUQUE—Kasalang Bayan sa Kaarawan ni Mayor Jing Sarmiento Madrigal
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Photos courtesy of: Elmar Manzo
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CIGARETTE… FROM PAGE 5 Osteoporosis is less common among men for reasons that men have larger skeletons. Men‟s bone loss starts later in life and progresses more slowly. The male species do not experience the rapid bone loss that affects women when their estrogen production drops as a result of menopause. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) originated in South America. It was originally used in rituals and ceremonies. When Christopher Columbus and his men returned to Spain after discovering America in 1492, one of the things they brought back with them was tobacco. Today, the habit of smoking has become widespread, and hundreds of millions of people are now using tobacco in various forms. “When you start smoking at a young age, say at 15, you develop cancer of the lungs in 25 years,” former health secretary Dr. Juan Flavier once said. “By that time, you‟re only 40 and at the peak of your productivity. At a time when you‟re supposed to be enjoying your life and your family, you‟re dead.” “Smoking is a chronic disease,” says Dr. Michael C. Fiore, director of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention in Madison, Wisconsin. “Once you quit, you‟re always at risk of smoking again. But each time you try, you develop better stop-smoking skills.” Are you ready to quit smoking? Here are the benefits, if you do, according to the National Cancer Institute in the United States: “Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease. The earlier a person quits, the greater the health benefit.” For example, research has shown that people who quit before age 50 reduce their risk of dying in the next 15 years by half compared with those who continue to smoke. Smoking low-yield cigarettes, as compared to cigarettes with higher tar and nicotine, provides no clear benefit to health. “I‟m glad I don‟t have to explain to a man from Mars why each day I set fire to dozens of little pieces of paper, and put them in my mouth,” wrote Mignon McLaughlin in The Second Neurotic’s Notebook (1966).
Greetings from:
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