GMA's confinement at the St. Luke's Medical Center only goes to show that everyone is vulnerable to illness, whether you reside in Malacañang or at a squatter colony.  While it's true that the rainy season brings in the flu season, what this all boils down to is that Metro Manila has become such a congested and polluted area where it's so easy for people to catch viral infections like the flu.  It's a contagious respiratory disease that could be particularly lethal to children under two years old and people over 50.

According to the DOH, flu (and its complications) is the sixth leading cause of death in the US, with over 30 million people getting sick every year.  In the Philippines, it's one of the leading causes of death, and is the most common reason for absences at work and in school.

Unfortunately, people take flu for granted, unaware that complications could lead to other illnesses like sinus problems and ear infections.  Worse, the disease could make life even more difficult for people with chronic problems like asthma, diabetes and congestive heart failure.

There have been quite a number of flu epidemics of global proportions mainly because the flu virus easily spreads from person to person.  Just a cough or a sneeze could get you infected.  With a congested area like Metro Manila and with houses practically wall-to-wall, it's really no surprise that a lot of people are getting sick.  Add to this, the problem of over population and the fact that Metro Manila—with all of its 12 million residents—has become very polluted.

Sanitation is virtually unheard of especially in squatter colonies near creeks and esteros, where people throw their garbage and human waste into the water.  Even hospitals add to the pollution.  Just imagine, more than 12 tons of toxic waste is generated from Metro Manila hospitals every day, with some even surreptitiously dumping their untreated waste into Manila Bay.  That's why Manila Bay continues to be absolutely filthy.  What was once a premier club, the Manila Yacht Club, now smells like a sewer.

I received a note from our dear friend Gina Lopez, a strong environmental advocate, and one of her projects is to have the La Mesa Dam watershed declared as a protected area.  A 59-hectare portion of the watershed is being set aside for a housing project, and Gina has been vehemently opposing the idea because it could contaminate Metro Manila's supply of potable water.

We have expressed on many occasions that we are totally against any kind of development around the area because it would destroy the forest cover and pollute the water.  I urge everyone who wants to have potable water, and more importantly, just wants to stay alive—you must support the campaign of Gina to gather five million signatures asking the government to declare the La Mesa Watershed a protected area.  In China, the pollution of the Yangtze River has reached alarming proportions that experts have called it the "cancerous" river.

It seems to me that more and more people are dying of cancer, many of them at an early age, some as young as 30 or 35 years old.  I myself know of at least three people younger than I am who are now being treated for cancer.  In the Philippines, there are about 72,000 new cancer cases every year, with 10,000 of them already in advanced stages at the time of detection. Lung, breast and colon cancer are the top three leading causes of death in the country, with the death toll estimated at 38,000 yearly.  According to the World Health Organization, 7.6 million people died of cancer last year while 84 million more could die in the next 10 years if the health situation doesn't get better.

As it is, many private groups are now pushing for education and awareness campaigns about cancer, flu and other diseases, advocating prevention as a safety measure.  Unfortunately—and as some have pointed out—health and education were barely mentioned in GMA's SONA.

At the recent Manila Rotary Club meeting, former Estrada Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno remarked that government's health expenditure has been going down, instead of up in the past few years.  Like in education, the money allocated for health has been dwindling, yet it's absolutely important for this country to have a healthy populace.

That toothpaste commercial, where the teacher helplessly watches as her pupils start disappearing one by one because of toothache, does not seem too farfetched.  If children get sick all the time, how will they be able to get any education at all?  Coming from a family of doctors, I am very aware of the many health problems that people can get.  Both my parents were doctors, my brother is a doctor and I have nieces and a nephew who are doctors as well.

GMA's SONA sounds too good to be true with its plans to build more roads, bridges and infrastructure, with the eventual decongestion of Metro Manila as a result.  Her plan for developing five "super regions" promises to bring progress and development to the provinces, and this could be made easier by building interconnecting highways—from Clark to Metro Manila down to the Batangas Port, and the North Luzon expressway to C5.

But if everybody is dying young, what is the point of building all these infrastructure and planning all these lofty visions for the future when those who would benefit from it will no longer be alive by then?  As usual, the Filipino's cynical humor always comes to the fore regardless of topic or occasion.  As one humorous smart-aleck put it referring to GMA's SONA—"In Lebanon, the problem is 'Hez bola.'  In the Philippines, the problem is 'Her bola'."

Disease and pollution are problems that are interconnected with poverty and overpopulation, compounded by the lack of awareness or education on sanitation and interrelated issues.  It's a vicious cycle, but the bottom line is that this government must invest in health and education.

The wealth of a nation relies on the health of its people, and if people are not healthy, we can't expect them to be able to pursue education and improve their lot in the process.  As they say, health is wealth, or as the ancient Roman poet Juvenal said, "Mens sana in corpore sano"—a healthy mind in a healthy body.

At the risk of sounding like a "pala" similar to GMA's SONA, I could not let this column pass without congratulating the Philippine STAR for its very successful 20th anniversary last Friday.  The Philippine STAR's success reflects the leadership and vision of its founders and officers, especially our chairman and publisher Max Soliven and president and CEO Miguel Belmonte.  I am proud to be associated with this paper.

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