PCIJ at 20

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Opinion/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo This week the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is celebrating its 20th anniversary. How time flies. The past 20 years have indeed been colorful, dangerous years for this journalistic endeavour which is an Asian first and which continues to be not only investigative but innovative as well in its reporting and use of new forms of media technology. Part of the celebration is a seminar for Asian journalists. The theme is “Peace, Human Rights, Good Governance: East Asian Democracies...

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Stem cells from me, for me

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Opinion/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo AVOIDING BEING MAUDLIN, I say, this is as straightforward as I can get:Few people knew about what I went through from October 2007 to May 2008. During that time I was quietly battling a dreaded threat: cancer. I had lived a relatively happy, healthy lifestyle for many years. And then for some strange reason, I was going “lo-batt.” An enemy had struck. As I had disclosed earlier, I found myself next door to the pre-departure area. (See my four-part series on stem cell therapy, Inquirer, p.1,...

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(PART 4) Stem Cells: Regenerative medicine--Hope or just hype

Read Part 1: Amazing healing power within our bodies  (with side bar, "What are stem cells?")Read Part 2: From science fiction to realityRead Part 3: Lab nerd tweaks tiny particles to renew lifeHuman Face column: Stem cells from me, for me  (Part 4-Conclusion)Philippine Daily Inquirer/Special Report/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo IS THIS THE HOLY GRAIL of medicine in the 21st century? Is this new emerging field going to provide dramatic changes in the way diseases and injuries are studied and treated? Stem cells and regenerative medicine are...

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(PART 3)Stem Cells: Lab nerd tweaks tiny particles to renew life

Read Part 1: Amazing healing power within our bodies Read side bar to Part 1 Read Part 2: From science fiction to reality Read Part 4: Regenerative medicine: hope or just hype Read Human Face column: Stem cells from me, for me (Third of a series) Philippine Daily Inquirer/Special Report/by Ma. Ceres P. DoyoMANILA, Philippines—Physician, lawyer, chemist, molecular biologist, Ph.D. and MBA holder, professor of medicine, cancer director in US hospitals,...

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(PART 2) Stem Cells: From science fiction to reality

Read Part 1: Amazing healing power within our bodies Read side bar to Part 1: What are stem cells? Read Part 3: Lab nerd tweaks tiny particles to renew life Read Part 4: Regenerative medicine: hope or just hype Read Human Face column: Stem cells from me, for me (Second of a series) Philippine Daily Inquirer/Special Report/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo IN THE PHILIPPINES, a name that has become synonymous with stem cells, and in a bigger dimension, with molecular and regenerative medicine, is Dr. Samuel D. Bernal.  “Molecular medicine,” Bernal proclaims,...

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(PART 1) Stem Cells: Amazing healing power within our bodies

Read side bar: What are stem cells? Read Part 2: From science fiction to reality Read Part 3: Lab nerd tweaks tiny particles to renew life Read Part 4: Regenerative medicine--hope or just hype Read Human Face column: Stem cells from me, for me (First of a series) Philippine Daily Inquirer/Special Report/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo MANILA, Philippines—Who’s afraid of stem cell therapy? Not me. I went through it—with the use of my very own adult stem cells....

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What are stem cells? (Side bar to Part 1)

STEM CELLS ARE the primary cells in the human body from which all other tissues “stem” from. They could be programmed in the laboratory to potentially become any other kind of cell and could be used to repair damaged tissues and replace diseased organs. Stem cells are found in most, if not all, multicellular organisms and are characterized by their ability to renew themselves into a diverse range of specialized cell types. The field developed from the findings of Canadian scientists Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 1960s. There are...

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Stop poison rain, foreign experts ask PGMA

Two hundred signatories from 44 countries, among them, noted scientists and health experts, have asked Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo “to end poison rain” or the aerial pesticide spraying of banana plantations in Mindanao. “We are writing to register our support for the ongoing effort of rural poor communities in Mindanao, Philippines to stop the aerial spraying of agrochemicals in banana plantations,” the signatories said. “In the spirit of global citizenship,” they added, “we state our solidarity with the women and men of the Mamamayan Ayaw...

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RM Awardee Antonio Oposa Jr: RP lawyer uses law to protect Mother Nature

Phiilippine Daily Inquirer/Feature IF HUMANS IN NEAR-DEATH situations need CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), ailing Mother Nature also needs CPR (conservation, protection and restoration/rehabilitation).That’s according to environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr., who uses medical jargon to call attention to the alarming state of the Philippine environment. But more importantly, he uses the law to protect LAW (land, air and water).The play on words and meanings is vintage Oposa, one of this year’s six recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award who...

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Batangueña refuses to pay taxes

A good friend of mine, Emma Alday, refuses to pay her taxes. She has not paid a cent for four years now. Emma is a guardian of the environment and has worked very, very hard to clean up rivers and other waterways in her hometown of San Jose , Batangas. I have seen for myself the efforts she has put into her advocacy. A former nun, Emma is an NGO worker who has received a number of citations for her work among farmers. She runs Casa Rap, a small garden-restaurant that serves organically grown food plus art from nature’s excess. She is also a former...

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Burma's Ka Hsaw Wa: RM Awardee fights for human, nature's rights

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Feature/by Ma. Ceres P. DoyoMANILA, Philippines—ONLY A SCAR remains on the right arm of Ka Hsaw Wa where there used to be a tattoo of the word “zeal” in Burmese. When he became a hunted man, he scraped it off his skin. Not many people have gone through the suffering and dangers this man went through in his youth. He has lived to boldly tell the tale and more importantly, he has made it his goal to make life better for those...

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RM Awardee Deep Joshi of India:Using head and heart to fight poverty

Philippine Daily Inquirer/Feature by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo MANILA, Philippines—“IF ALL YOU HAVE are bleeding hearts, it wouldn’t work. If you only have heads, then you are going to dictate solutions which do not touch the human chord.” Words to remember from India’s Deep Joshi, one of the six recipients of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award.Development workers, civil society advocates, and social activists take heed. You need both head and heart in order...

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