Have You Experienced Saying Good Bye to Your Pet?

Here’s a very short story I wrote on 31 May 2012.  I came across this when I was trying to check on some old flash drives earlier today.

I should have written this piece last Friday (29 May 2012) evening, but at that time I wasn’t ready to write about how Buddy (our pet Labrador) and I parted.  He passed away at about 2:00 pm and I had to bury him about 4:00 pm last Friday.  King, my son and Buddy’s rightful master, wasn’t around – he’s in Europe for his honeymoon and will be back on June 9^th yet.  Buddy’s been sick the past few months but this has been on and off.  We’ve always attributed it to his age.  For a Labrador, 14 dog years is quite long life since most large breeds like Labradors last usually from 12-15 years.  He’s been suffering from arthritis and has had difficulty walking and moving around but always made sure he would be greeting us every morning (upon waking up and tending the small garden at the backyard) and afternoon (when we come home from work) with a wagging tail and happy facial expression.  He was always cheerful and playful.

King’s prognosis might be right.  It probably didn’t help Buddy psychologically that suddenly there were no people at home and he might have felt alone and lonely.  Jegs and I started moving out of the house on May 5^th, and King and Vanie left for Europe on May 24^th.  During that time, his health deteriorated quickly.  On Friday, May 25^th, a day after King and Vanie left, Buddy visibly became a little lonely but was always alert, always wagging his tail when he saw Jegs and me.  Everyday, Jegs was in the house fixing the things we needed to fix before King and Vanie would be back.  Jegs observed that on May 27^th, Buddy suddenly had no interest in food.  In fact, for two days (28^th and 29^th) he didn’t eat, but took some water when Jegs kind of “force-fed” him with water.  Jegs and Buddy had become very close friends, not as pet and master.

On May 28^th, Jegs, on my suggestion, contacted her high school classmate who is now  a veterinarian (faculty member of the UPLB College of Veterinary Medicine).  Dr. Andrew Bernardo visited Buddy on the 29^th.  The moment he saw Buddy, Dr. Bernardo’s face became sad.  He told us that Buddy was very sick, and he diagnosed him to also have some parasites from which he might not be able to recover because apparently the parasitic condition has so quickly advanced and in consideration of his age he was just waiting to go.  I asked Dr. Bernardo if it was still possible to treat Buddy and he said that his prognosis was that Buddy would be lucky if he lasted two more weeks.

I didn’t like to see Buddy suffer the way he did.  I talked to him (Buddy) and he looked at me like he never did before, as if pleading for help.  He looked so helpless.  I’ll never forget the way he looked at me straight in the eyes.  It was then that I asked Dr. Bernardo who was beside me, “Doc, is there a way to end his suffering quickly?”  Then I mentioned the term “euthanasia” to which the Vet said, “at this point that’s the most humane thing to do.”  But I immediately said, “I can’t make that decision just yet.  I need to consult my son.”  He said, he’d be prepared to do it any day.  During the day, I emailed King and told him about the situation.  I got his response the following day 30 May 2012.  He said, given all considerations, he agreed that euthanasia was the best option Buddy could be given.   So on May 30^th I asked Jegs to contact his veterinarian-friend again and tell him that we’d be ready on May 31^st.  I didn’t like the idea of putting Buddy to permanent sleep on the 30^th, which was my birthday.  We agreed on the 31^st.  Dr. Bernardo said he would be there at 1:30 pm, and he was.

While the Vet was preparing the injections, I was talking to Buddy.  I told him, “Buddy, I’m very sorry but you’ll have to go into a long sleep.  May be we’ll not see each other again.  Al and Vanie are not here right now but Al knows everything that’s going on.  I’m sorry that you’ll not see them before you sleep.  But this is the best to relieve you of whatever suffering you’re having.  Bye, Buddy.”  Then I stroked his head.  He responded with a weakly-wagging tail and a lonely look in the face.  I knew, however, that he understood he was going to sleep permanently.

First, the Vet injected Buddy with a sedative to put him to temporary sleep.  When Buddy was asleep, Dr. Bernardo tried to locate Buddy’s veins for the next injection but couldn’t find any because Buddy’s legs had swollen.  He hasn’t changed position in the last 48 hours.  The Vet couldn’t find Buddy’s veins on the hind legs and the front legs.  Ultimately, the Vet asked me, “I need your permission to go straight to the heart” and I said “go ahead.”  In a couple of seconds, Buddy had his last two gasps of air. Slowly his head turned upwards and then he was gone.  Slowly, the Vet pushed his head downwards.  His tongue was very pale, but he looked serene.

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There Otta be a Law

What’s your driving behavior? Have you been texting or talking to a friend on your cellphone while driving?  Those days are now numbered, not only for you  but for everybody else.  It’s time to stop such bad habit, else you could be flagged down by the police and cited for violating RA 10913, otherwise known as the Anti-Distracted Driving Act, which became effective August 16^th this year.

All drivers think that they’re good and can handle very well these two things: driving and texting or talking on the phone at the same time.  Well, the first time you do it, you could be lucky, even the second, or third time.  But you won’t be lucky forever.  Sooner or later (I strongly believe, sooner) you can get into a road accident (and this road accident will probably not be only a simulation but real one).

If cited for violation of RA 10913, you’ll pay a fine of P5T (first offense), P10T (second offence), P15T and suspension of Driver’s License for 3 months (third offense), or P20T and revocation of Driver’s License (fourth offense).  How will they know you’ve made multiple offenses? I suppose this will be based on a database search under your name.  In other countries, police will simply call data center to find what’s in your record, and presto they get the information in a couple of minutes.  You probably won’t be able to argue with the police, but you can make your arguments in court.  All these are based on the assumption that things would get efficient soon in all of our government system.  Ah, that guy Du30, he’s got so many things to do – or worse, we’re all expecting him to do everything himself.  But that’s exactly why he has subordinates all over government to do the things he says need to be done.  And pronto!

Anyway, in coordination with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), DepEd, DILG, PNP, and private agencies and organizations, the Department of Transportation shall undertake a massive nation-wide campaign to inform and educate the public about RA 10913 for six months from the effectivity of the Act, which is August 16, 2015.  Through this write-up, I’m making my personal contribution to the dissemination of information about RA 10913. 

Those caught violating RA 10913 between now and February 15, 2017, the period of the informaion and education campaign, may probably be just cited and reminded that there is already a law against distracted driving.  I’m certain that during this information and education campaign period many will be apprehended, but  I’m guessing that they’ll just be cited and reminded of the law.  However, by February 16, 2017 those caught violating the law will have to pay fines.

Personally, I find this law appropriate.  I’m always pissed off by drivers texting or talking to someone else on the phone while driving.  This puts the lives of people at risk and I find this repulsive and inexcusable to say the least, especially when there’s no emergency involved.  I hope this law will be uniformly and efficiently implemented.

Motor vehicle drivers, good or bad, must always consider pedestrian behavior as driving variable that constantly changes.  Always drive defensively.  And avoid driving too fast.  Such behavior doesn’t exactly fit our roads that are always in traffic gridlock.

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CESO Eligibility for Doctorate Degree Holders, Anyone?

Have you heard of Senate Bill 261?  This proposed law was filed in the Philippine Senate recently by Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson.  His reason?  To bring in more competent people in the government service.  Sen. Lacson is proposing that there should be a law granting CESO eligibility to doctorate degree holders.  In Lacson's bill, the doctorate degree would be equivalent to the entry level of CESO eligibility in the civil service.

To be sure, there are countless PhD degree holders who do not have civil service eligibility but RA 1080 granted these people civil service eligibility.  For executive positions, however,, civil service appointments and promotions require CESO eligibility.

I am not against this bill, but I would like to see some sort of procedure to measure the nature, level, and quality of decision making a doctorate degree holder might have prior to being awarded CESO eligibility.  Why?  I do have friends who say that having earned a doctorate degree doesn't make one a good decision maker.  As they say, there are doctorates and there are doctorates, "May mga mamiso, may mga mamera."  In various schools in the Philippines, doctorate degrees are awarded even to those not really qualified

The fact that Sen. Lacson filed said bill in the senate, to me is an indication that there are people in government who have looked at this particular situation and see that there is a problem in the availability of good people in higher levels of government service.  Why this situation?  Well, I also have friends saying that some of those in higher levels of government service are there because they were elected by idiots, or they have another eligibility: "connection."

I hope that when the bill is up for debate in the committees and floor of the senate, the senators would consider issues beyond mere numbers.  For example, must we start now to legislate requirements that ought to be determined through intellectual capacities and capabilities such as decision-making?

I will not, however, fight a proposal that I see can enhance the recognition of individuals who have proven themselves to be smart and highly intelligent by being able to hurdle the rigors of earning a doctorate degree.  By the way, would the doctorate degree be in the field of management, social science, or technical fields.  What are the rubrics that must be understood first?

Anyway, would highly qualified PhDs bite this?  Highly qualified PhDs can demand salaries as high as four times the salary of a CESO IV.  The issue is "patriotism," though.