I BELIEVE this is the best time for me to thank Chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the invaluable assistance they have given to the city and people of Iloilo after the devastating Typhoon Frank hit us.

The MMDA personnel did a yeoman’s job in clearing the debris, the silt and the mud and in helping to revive the rhythm and the tempo of our beloved city. This was timely because the city does not have the needed equipment and know-how in undertaking this tedious operation, and the MMDA extended to us their helping hand and their expertise, declogging the city’s drainage system and keeping the streets dry.

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The Department of Health (DOH) regional director in Western Visayas, based in Iloilo City, a certain Dr. Lydia Depra Ramos, who has been claiming she is a sacred cow because she is protected by Typhoon Frank, may finally be out of the region after her notorious intervention which almost stopped the Philippine Medical Association’s (PMA) medical mission in Iloilo City for typhoon and flood victims in our beloved city.

I can’t imagine the gall of this very unpopular director attempting to prevent the medical mission of the PMA from pushing through just because her prior permission was not sought.

I have dossiers against this notorious director who terrorizes her employees in Western Visayas, especially the members of the bidding committee whenever her favorite supplier loses a bidding for medicine, many of which are not even needed. I have a copy of records showing she purchased medicines which could last for 500 years, and I understand that many of these drugs have already expired-and to keep the evidence from the public, these drugs are buried God knows where.

This director has a favorite supplier from Luzon, but never from Iloilo City. Even if the same medicine is being offered by local suppliers, she would order the same from her pet supplier at highly bloated prices. For instance, while a medicine is available locally for P150 a pack, records show that she purchased the same for as high as P600 a pack.

I am not surprised that she is said to have many cases filed against her in the Ombudsman and with the DOH, but it seems that these cases suffer the fate of Mona Lisa, “they just lie there, and they die there. . . .”

I wonder what my good friend Secretary Francisco Duque has to say about this. More on this later.

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Maybe they will not be feted with a ticker tape or a victory parade, but nevertheless, they made us all proud with their international triumph in the field of songs.

The Las Piñas Boys Choir sang their way to the championship in the Fifth World Choir Games in Graz, Austria. Participating groups came from China, Russia, Austria, Germany, Indonesia, Hungary and Croatia, with more than 600 performances in 28 different categories.

Not to be outdone, the Kilyawan Boys Choir of Quezon City was named champion in a choral festival also in Austria, which is considered the largest choral competition in the world with more than 400 choirs from 90 countries in participation.

Isn’t it great? And we are also tops in boxing.

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More good news! Filipino children bested a host of contestants and won the world mathematics contest held in Hong Kong recently.

This sterling achievement is another outstanding feather in our cap, especially at a time when many critics among ourselves have been training their guns against our educational system. The feat of the young math wizards is one proof that we are on a par, if not one of the best, this time, in Asia.

Tomorrow, we will not be surprised if our kids triumph against the best in the world.

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Adding to our woes in Iloilo City is the foul odor emanating from the flood-soaked 200,000 bags of National Food Authority (NFA) rotting in its bodega (warehouse) in Jaro, a few meters from my residence.

I am very concerned about this because this will, without doubt, affect the health of the people, especially the children living within the periphery of the NFA who are shrouded by the foul atmosphere. NFA officials are trying to minimize the ill effects by coating the grains with lime, but to no avail; some bags were buried, but it seems that this, too, is posing some problems of its own.

Could agricultural experts put their gray cells to work to salvage some of the grains, maybe for animal feed, or even as fertilizer substitute, so that we can recoup a portion of the NFA’s costs and minimize government losses? I’m sure there’s a way.

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