Sangkusing

        Our bodies have two brains. There’s the one we all know about and a second one – in our guts.

Both of these brains begin to form almost from the moment an egg is fertilised and develop from the same clump of tissue.

        As this embryonic tissue divides during fetal development, one section evolves into the central nervous system, another into the enteric nervous system. Later these two nervous systems connect via the vagus nerve – the longest of all the cranial nerves. The vagus nerve stretches from the brain stem through the neck and finally ends up in the abdomen providing continuous two-way line of communication between the gut and the brain.

        In the last decade or so scientists have discovered that each brain influences the other and imbalance in one can mean imbalance in the other.

        In his ground breaking book The Second Brain, Dr. Michael Gershon, a professor of anatomy and cell biology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, says:

“The brain is not the only place in the body that’s full of neurotransmitters,” he says. “A hundred million neurotransmitters line the length of the gut, approximately the same number that is found in the brain…”

        I woke up this morning asking myself: “What’s up? What are the fresh challenges for a guy my age?” I clicked on the TV not really to watch the Kris TV show, but to check on the day and date to get my bearings.

        My day Tuesday is relatively open. So, I decided to write a blog about my favorite topic, healthy aging.

        I was figuring out the most appropriate title for the piece. Staying fit, comes to mind. Staying sane, may be better. Keeping it up sounds appropriate, but I decided against it as it has very specific inappropriate connotations.

        I decided to use “Keeping Pace” as the most apt term for my concern of the moment.

        I have always wanted to be in control of my environment – to act at a comfortable pace - my pace. Lately, I get stressed trying to keep in step with events in my life. The usual advice is to take it easy – take deep breaths and live longer.

        And this I find ironic, frustrating, because modern living is so fast paced and unsavory events seem to be overpowering us if we do nothing. Taking it easy will mean stagnation falling back. If one relaxes too much it is like just waiting for your caregiver (mortician?) to take you away!  I still find difficulty in just taking deep breaths and praying.

        There is so much evil being discovered threatening our nation. At no time in our history from the reign of insulares and peninsulares, have we discovered so many things, why our galloping population remains dirt poor despite PNoy’s impressive economic gains. PATRONAGE POLITICS, POLITICAL DYNASTIES, permeating greed has been taking advantage of our democratic political system. So many logical counter moves are presenting themselves waiting for the right people to act decisively.

        Years ago, one smart man saw this and on the pretense of correcting the defective system, took advantage and wrought havoc on the country for over 20 years relegating the Philippines as the “sick man of Asia”.

        The Former Senior Government Officials have expressed their findings. The greedy sector is fighting back trying to maintain its nefarious dominance.

        But my faculties say: Take it easy – relax. I guess I’m already too old.

        “The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   But I have promises to keep,   And miles to go before I sleep,   And miles to go before I sleep.”

NGO’s

        Now that we know where and how most of our new-found economic gains are being wasted, let me present a novel idea that the new enlightened unstained legislators should seriously consider - to give prominence to the important role of legitimate non-profit non-government organizations in nation-building.

        It is now acknowledged that most of the country’s new-found impressive economic gains have been going to the elite, if not to the hidden bank accounts of the corrupt politicians. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class migrating.

        I sincerely believe that this proposal can move the great mass of our suffering humanity forward.

        I was involved in the operation of a health care foundation for a couple of years, but it was a total exercise in futility. Because of the prevailing suspicion that foundations are being used as tax shields and for tax avoidance without doing service to the country or its avowed beneficiaries, the Finance Department of previous regimes disallowed NGOs to take on quasi for-profit operations, such as selling services and goods at discounted rates, even if the “profit” generated was earmarked to the support the foundation’s just causes. Also, non-profit organizations are legally mandated to use only up to 30% of all receipts and donations received on all administrative requirements, which, of course is pitifully unadequate to cover salaries, advertising, marketing, as well as all contracted services.

         It is important for legislators to review the charter of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Being government, PCSO has been subjected to political misuse, over-use and abuse. But this charter can serve as model on what legislators can creatively do to enable the shift of wealth being generated from the very profitable conglomerates towards the lowly non-profit sector.

         Our enlightened legislators should also consider built-in safeguards against opportunistic scam artists like those of Janet Napolis  – while at the same time serving as conduit for public funds to be used for legitimate social services.

         Currently NGOs’ watchdog is supposed to be the Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC) – a private group of NGOs that signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the defunct Department of Finance. Previous to PCNC, the job was given to NEDA. It was given the authority to certify NGOs applying for donee institution status based on specific standards. The certification should then serve as a basis for the BIR to grant incentives to donor institutions. It was envisioned that this certification process would encourage local donations to NGOs so significant at this time when resources channeled to social development projects, including foreign donors, have become timid.  PCNC exists largely to pursue tax incentives for donors to NGOs.

        Evidently, refreshed legislators can create a law expanding the role of PCNC to allow the non-profit sector to absorb a bigger share of the new-found economic pie. As we now find out, the empowered NGO watchdog should be able to prevent the criminal diversion of scarce funds intended to uplift poverty by pseudo-fundraisers and other NGOs. This move should be able to do a better job at lifting the majority from poverty than the CCT dole-outs.

        Our legislators should find ways to allow NGOs to put the following five things together:

I do pray somebody is listening.