By Antonio Graceffo
Second of three parts

Editor’s note: Part 1 appears here.

Ma’am Joan talks a lot about the rights of patients. The Philippines is a very stratified society in which one half doesn’t have very much, while the other half has everything. The have-nots comprise nearly 80 percent of the population, and they have absolutely nothing.

“In the Philippines, no one is to blame if they are poor. Being poor is not your fault.” She paused to let that sink in. Then she added, “But being rich is. If someone in the Philippines is rich, we have to ask where the money came from.”

Corruption is rampant in the country and is often identified as the single most crippling force holding back the economic development of the people.

Joan gave a lengthy lecture on discrimination against poor patients in the hospital. Sometimes these people are abused verbally and even physically. She said things like, “Don’t try this with white people. They will stand up for their rights. But we Pinoys let people push us around.”

Organ sales are common, and apparently, some medical personnel accept a commission for brokering the sales when a patient dies. “This is unethical,” Joan told us, as if maybe we didn’t already know. “Let the families make their own arrangements to sell the organs. It is illegal and awful, but poverty makes people desperate.”

This phrase, “Poverty makes people desperate,” is a recurring theme in the Philippines. There are a lot of cases in the news of people jumping off bridges or committing violent robberies that are so public and stupid, they seem more like cries for help. Money is really tight for me during school, and I live in very basic, jail-cell-like conditions, but I still can’t imagine the grind of real poverty. To know that you can’t provide for your family and that there is no hope that tomorrow will be any better must be absolutely incapacitating.

Doing my anatomy homework, it occurred to me that this stuff is freaking hard. There is a reason that doctors study for ten years. In Manila, however, anatomy study is slightly easier, because I can just drop by the market and pick up a human kidney and practice in my room.

Of diet and exercise
For all of their education and training, the Filipinos’ approach to diet and exercise is dated. In fact, everyone smokes. They are all fat, and no one exercises at all. The course had a unit which said EMTs should be fit, exercise regularly, and eat right.

Joan repeated what was written on the overhead, which was basically, “You should exercise every day, eat a healthy diet, and keep fit.” But that was the end of it. We went on to the next slide. No exercise program was laid out; nothing was planned. It occurred to me how many times in my life I have sat in an orientation at a school or a company in which they said, “You should do fifteen minutes of aerobic exercise per day, keep fit, and sleep and eat right. Next slide.”

I spend less than 45 minutes in the gym per day and I am probably fitter than 90 percent of people. Why can’t we do this for our kids?

Time sense is an issue here. You wait for everything. I waited in line for an ATM for twenty minutes the other day. You are always waiting, things take longer and everyone is late. But no one seems to mind. To travel five kilometers could take one and a half hours, but no one ever walks. I walk to the mall and my classmate got lost on the public transport.

America in their mind
Filipinos talk about America constantly. America is the standard by which everything else is measured and still the number one country they want to go to. But according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the US, paramedics only earn about $2,500 per month. In the Middle East they can earn $2,500 tax free, and get free accommodations and food. If you did the Middle East deal, you could easily save $2,000 per month.

In the US, after paying taxes and the apartment, there would be nothing left. In many, many instances my classmates mention that one or the other country in Europe has a better procedure or equipment than the Americans. But America remains the standard.

I tried to convince Ben he would be better off as an EMT in Qatar or as an RN in America, but going to America to be a paramedic was not a good idea. They don’t understand that $2,500 is nothing in the US and $2,500 in the Middle East is a better deal.

Antonio Graceffo is an adventure and martial arts author living in Asia. He is the host of the Web TV show, Martial Arts Odyssey. Currently he is working inside of Shan State, documenting human rights abuses and doing a film and print project to raise awareness of the Shan people. His videos about martial arts, Burma, and other countries are available here.

Antonio is the author of four books available on Amazon.com. E-mail him at antonio@speakingadventure.com or visit his Website. He is self-funded and seeking sponsors. If you wish to contribute to the “In Shanland” film project, you can donate through Paypal, through this page.

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