Small text i sent to ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel) mailboxes during/ after their morning show interview of a physician-specialist of St. Luke’s Hospital, who harvested the cord cells of celebrity-mom Chiqui Roa’s baby, and who’s promoting the research:
My text: Quote “Profiling in the molecular level: finally, a real scientist: TJ fails to ask the obvious: regenerating, creating actually, organs and body parts and keeping them in “refrigerators” and down the road, creating the so-called perfect human being in the fetus stage free of all human defective conditions. It’s being done. Your producers should read up. Sayang. (what a pity). You had a real scientist.” Unquote.
Isn’t anyone fascinated with anything anymore? You don’t have to be smart, you just have to be curious.
(you can see, i avoided using the usual controversial words to refer to the research). To be fair, ALL of the television networks in the Philippines do not have a good science beat. In fact, none of them have a science beat. So, you have to be conscious of the fact that you don’t have a science beat, you don’t have producers and consultants on that, no one is equipped, so if you have a segment on “hard science”, the producer should read up.
Or maybe, St. Luke’s didn’t want the hard questions to be asked, not wanting to cause a ruckus with the Catholic Church at this early stage when they’re still trying to promote the donation of cord cells. I don’t know, I’m not privy. It’s one of the most interesting projects in Philippine medical science and it’s heartwarming to find out that a Filipino scientist is among those abreast of the world-class research going on. (The ANC guest-interviewee trained and practised in the States; i was rushing out I’m sorry I didn’t write his name down). I don’t see any legal problems and I’d be the first to defend it. Regarding the Catholic Church: we’re not yet there, guys. (At last Sunday’s sermon, our parish priest said : “THERE ARE NO THREE KINGS! THE BIBLE DID NOT USE THE WORD “KINGS” BUT “MAGI” OR WISE MEN, AND THERE WERE NOT NECESSARILY THREE BUT MORE!” He said it emphatically like he was saying “THERE IS NO SANTA!” or “WALANG HIMALA!!!” (no miracles) of Ate Guy’s classic. But…as usual, the crowd was sleepy, no response, no stir, no oh’s, no smiles, no nudging, just waiting for their rituals. We’re not yet there, guys.
Set the world on fire with your research and save lives.
