Old fogeys at the Olympics

Don’t ask anymore if you see any of your friends today with bleary eyes. Especially if they belong to the media, or are sports-minded ones. There is no doubt that they had stayed up, or gotten up at 4 a.m. today to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in London. I will not blame those who did, as I will surely be one of them. Why would we miss what is being billed as “The Greatest Show on Earth” for this generation?

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Me, I especially want to watch the behavior of the British people as they welcome the great gathering which they had not sponsored for more than 50 years now. I read somewhere that the last time England hosted the game was in 1948 yet. So this is a historic, shattering affair that the Britons surely appreciate a lot. I will also be looking out for the expressions, and the manner of displaying their happiness and compare them to those of the Chinese people when Beijing was the locale of the last Olympics.

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The past weeks, one could see the delight and joy of the people of England, especially the Londoners, which are so spontaneous, carefree and sincere. Even their simultaneous ringing of bells where both young and old participated in, was delightful to watch. I don’t think the world saw that on the faces of the people in Beijing back in 2008, because they looked so reserved and, yes, regimented. I am sure, too, that any singers the Brits will present will be genuine ones, no lipsynching, even if the actual singer is not good-looking enough.

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Please don’t squirm if you see the minuscule Philippine delegation who are said to be 146th in the marching order, even if you notice that there are more officials than athletes. Is it true that we have participants in only 11 events? As for the officials, again, don’t be surprised or fidget if you see that they are the same old hangers-on who obviously believe they are the only ones who can run the sports activities of our country. At least we have not heard of them bragging again about the medals they will bring home. But hope springs eternal, they say, so let’s continue crossing our fingers.

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As the interviews of the aspirants for the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court come to a close, it is becoming obvious that the “insiders”, meaning the ones who are already members of the High Court as associate justices, are closing ranks and emphasizing how difficult it will be for an “outsider” to adjust, and how demoralization will set in if the Judicial and Bar Council insist on recommending one who has no experience, in other words, a newcomer. Many onlookers, however, are rooting for a non-member, because they think old dogs there can no longer play new tricks.

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Talking about dogs reminds us about the new ordinance passed by the Quezon City council that requires owners of pets to register them with the city, and have them vaccinated, as well as keep their records for regular check-up or updating. But what about those pets are not the more tractable cats and dogs, or even chirping birdies? Can they register them and convince them to undergo vaccination? And, also, pet owners should report the deaths of their pets. If your pet is a chicken and you decide to make inasal of it, will you get a death certificate, and probably be charged as a criminal for slaughtering it?

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That was a very interesting affair sponsored at the Bacolod City Government Center by the alumni of the Cebu Institute of Medicine Thursday night. Aside from the very tasty and well-presented dinner personally catered by Dodong Bascon, guests and doctors present also got an educational lecture on malignancy from CIM alumnus Dr. Adonis Guancia. The special guest of honor, Ambassador Agnes Nyamande-Pitso of South Africa, delivered a very enlightening and charming speech, clearly showing why she had been appointed as a diplomat.

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We were guests of Dr. Ver Lacson, president of the CIM Alumni Association-Negros Occidental Chapter, and a very well-known organizer and host, so it was a very successful evening for us. Dr. Thelma Fernandez, dean of CIM, impressed us with her disclosure of the accomplishments of CIM that, she said, has held a record of 100 percent passing in recent board examinations. And, indeed, many successful practitioners in Bacolod seem to be CIM graduates. The affair also introduced South African-produced medicines under the brand name of ASPEN.*

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