By KATHLEEN T. OKUBO
www.nordis.net

My older cousins and their friends, for quicker recognition, often identified him to me as the Chinese doctor (as if there was no other doctor of Chinese descent in Baguio). We shall miss Dr. Charles Cheng, a member of one of Baguio’s old timer families of the Chinese community. Even if he grew-up and lived here most of his life, he never lost what we non-Chinese speaking refer to as that singsong intonation when he speaks Iloco, so I thought it better that he speak in English. He was more a friend of my late parents, my aunt and uncles – their generation anyway. But as we grew up, he had also become a friend to my brothers and I, and he dealt with us without the generation gap but made felt the dignity and his role as the elder in our midst. He was one of the first local medical doctors in the city who with his western medical training also practiced traditional oriental healing methods that many refer to as alternative medicine. And it was not because he was a medical doctor that my family got acquainted to him but more because of his interest to write about the old Baguio, especially the Baguio Chinese community for which he had published a book on as he continued to keep digging for more stories of the fast developing Baguio community.

He also is one local doctor who decided to stay and serve the communities of Baguio-Benguet and then the rest of the Cordillera provinces as against the graduates of medicine who preferred going abroad to the so-called greener pastures which is still the choice of a majority of local doctors, especially nowadays. I believe that beside being busy with his patients, it was so good of him (humanitarian) as a doctor to make and document observations or initial studies on changes in the health of the people in the local communities he served. It is sad though in this ‘modern age’ that he had to be like John the Baptist shouting in the wilderness when it came to sharing the findings of his medical research or studies to the mainstream medical or health community and appeal for medical attention for the people in far flung towns of the region.

He loved his hometown and community and served it well as a medical doctor, a musician of sorts, a basketball player and boxing aficionado, a Filipino – Igorot – Chinese, a mentor, a leader and a writer. He led an exemplary life worth emulating, and as he used to say with a shrug, “It may not be financially rewarding but (tapping his chest) here it is fulfilling. It feels good. You know you are happy, di ba?” And gives his big, bright, infectious and heartwarming smile. May the way he served his community continue to be emulated down through the generations. Our deepest condolences to his daughters, sons, his grandchildren and to Catherine. Thank you, we are fortunate to have known and worked with him.

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Our deepest condolences also, to the family of the late Victor Laoyan of the great clan of Clemente Laoyan of La Trinidad valley.

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With a little help from a friend

One long time friend from college days was invited to the workshop on “Demystifying the City Budget for Waste Management” at UP Baguio two weeks ago but could not make it because she had to rush to the hospital. She was concerned that she would not be able to contribute what she knew about waste management that can or may help this citizen’s initiative to seek solution to the burgeoning garbage problem of this beloved city and hometown. She decided to send it in by SMS but then it was after the workshop because of the hospital tests she had to go through that day. So now we continue to share it.

She “texted’, “Here are the facts I got from a gov’t certified manufacturer of materials recovery equipments. There are two kinds a) a composter – (which) transforms organic waste into fertilizer. The 500 kg capacity machine costs P618,600, and the 1000 kg capacity machine costs P809,000. b) a shredder (that) shreds inorganic materials like plastics and styrofoam costs P195,000. (And a) Densifier transforms shredded plastics and styrofoam into pavement blocks costs P195,000.”

The total cost for a set of these equipments (a composter with 500 kg capacity, a shredder, and a densifier) is around P1,008.600 while a composter with 1000 kg capacity will amount to P1,199,000. Other waste materials like hard plastics and metal, etc. can be brought or sold to the junk shops for recycling. The 128 barangays of Baguio can be surveyed, planned and programed for the strategical distribution of such service equipment. People just have to make sure it is practical, functional and economical for the City. About 107 to 127 of these sets can be afforded by the 128 million used to purchase the ERS machines now in the Irisan dump.

She continued to text, “I think Kath, if every barangay is provided these equipment then waste can be managed at the barangay level there would be no need for Irisan or Tarlac or whatever dumpsite they are looking for. But then if there is a lot if kickbacks involved in waste dumping, then I guess we will never find a solution. Baguio citizens should wake up and strive to manage their waste, learn and practice segregation and recycling. You know what? The manufacturer says Iloilo, Cavite, Quezon and Semirara (btw where is this?) have a low demand for the shredder-densifier because they (are) strictly implementing the no plastic, no styro regulation in their areas. Paki cuenta mo nga yung mga quotations, Pasok ba sa 128M na budget o naubos na? Hahaha. Isa pa these equipment were designed by the DOST, Hello? Di ba sila nag-uusap? I don’t really understand how these people operate. Sige Kath, I hope makakatulong kahit papaano. I had wanted to share this last year pa but my throat chakra is closed. I mentioned it in Facebook, calling on the DOST to help but I really didn’t follow up. I had wanted to call up the mayor and tell him but cynicism won the upper hand, I plead guilty.”

Thanx Baby. I am sure that bit of background information can make some of us realize that disposing garbage responsibly is more economical, and that “when the cat is not around the mice play around with the people’s resources”. # nordis.net