“Forgiveness does not make the other person right.  It sets you free.” -- Steve Tamayo

First, some good news from Dr. F. C. Gapultos, president of the  American chapter foundation  of the  Tau Mu Sigma Phi of the University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery. They have been reinstated with all privileges by the Office of Student Affairs and Community Services. Tau Mu Sigma Phi is the oldest medical fraternity, established in 1946, and has a history of benevolence and great service to the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, the University and to the country.

In keeping with their ideals of Academic Excellence, Service, Leadership, and Brotherhood, the Tau Mu Sigma Phi pledged ongoing support to numerous projects. They are the first Alumni organization to pledge financial support to the multi-million dollar UST Alumni Center, a Quadricentennial gift for all Thomasians. They have already issued half of their $100,000 pledge to the Alma Mater.

They are also the first and the only fraternal organization to establish a $25,000 Perpetual Endowment Fund in cooperation with the UST Medical Alumni Association in America Foundation. The interest money annually is disbursed to the projects of the University most especially to the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery.

In collaboration with Gawad Kalinga, the Tau Mu Sigma Phi Village at Towerville, Bulacan now  exists and they have extended the Big Brother Program to graduate members for postgraduate observership curricula in America.

Reinstatement of the Fraternity to full recognition was announced by the Rev. Father Rector Magnificus, Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, Dr. Grace Garayblas-Gonzaga at the recent 8th Tau Mu Sigma Phi, USA, Foundation, Inc. Annual Grand Reunion & Convention held in the Rio Casino Penthouse, Las Vegas, Nevada, which was hosted by Dr. Ed Tanhui.

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Now more good news…My trusty little Adventure has been “usok-free” for a month now. The engine has more “pull” or “hila” but best of all, I have cut my diesel consumption by as much as thirty per cent without cutting down on my travel!

No, this is not the motoring page, but I want to share information about a product that can recapture, reuse, recycle and reduce air pollutants! Imagine that all in a gadget invented by a Filipino, Erano Evangelista who did not even finish high school but went through the School of Hard Knocks! What he has are guts, a lot of common sense, tons of curiosity, ingenuity, resourcefulness and dreams. He has been inventing things over many years – items to make life easier and the environment safer.

Well, he has struck a gold mine with this gadget which he calls Aero-Nox and which should retail less than P 7,000 once it is sold commercially. My car was one of the “guinea pigs” for the device over two weeks ago.  You see, together with a handful of journalists we were willing to test the benefits of using Aero-Nox in our cars!

Aside from it being able to suck in dirty air, it promotes efficient combustion  and cleaner combustion means cleaner engines. Sounds simple… yes, it is and the electronic transforms the air into nitrous oxide for combustion in internal combustion engines. It is easy to install and does not require any modification or alteration of the existing combustion engines.

My driver Roland reports that our diesel bill has gone down, our engine functions better and our exhaust spews cleaner, recycled air!

The gadget which has an Environment Technology Verification from the DOST has been tested and passed the Land Transportation Office, the DENR, and DOE standards. That’s as technical as I can get.

It has also earned a California patent, the inventor told us. Incidentally, the first mayor to recommend it for all his city vehicles including tricycles and private cars is environmental champ, Edward Hagedorn of Puerto Princesa in Palawan. Now, that’s an eco-friendly public official!

The Aero-Nox was introduced to us by businessman Edward Cobankiat. Thanks,Ed!  The Japanese lunch at your Tanabe restaurant at MOA meal was delicious and Aero-Nox worth it!

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On the home front, there was the  recent launch of the new consumer service of PLDT  with our friend, Optical Media Board chief and television game host, Edu Manzano  as chief endorser.

Well, with Edu‘s schedule of frequent travels all over the country, the “Call All” really fits!

This “promo” of PLDT targets its more than one million landline users to avail, at an additional P250 monthly on their regular residential telephone bill, the “Call All” and call anywhere in the country for free! The “catch” is that they must get a PLDT Landline Plus with its own SIM card and call within the same “local calling area.” Like within the NCR for instance.

Now, if you are in another local calling area, you can equip your family with their own PLP second line with its SIM and you can call each other wherever you are for free!

This looks mighty attractive to landline users and the other millions (around 96 plus millions) of cell phone users and I think PLDT has a winning gimmick in “Call All”. After all, it’s so easy to get a PLDT landline these days! My children don’t remember the dark days when one waited for months, begged and bribed phone executives and linesmen to “please install my line!”

Will “Call All” clog the airways, the cell sites and whatever else cyberspace it needs to be effective?

PLDT executives, Eric Alberto, Senior VP, Dan Ibarra, head of the Retail Business Group, and Patrick Tang, AVP, Retail Business Group don’t think so. In these hard times, we all need to stay in touch, right? It’s sooooo comforting to be able to talk to your family and friends anytime and anywhere you want to!

This is great also for politicians, their handlers, leaders and families on the campaign trail. After all, to stay connected is to be steps ahead, right? 

Have I tried “Call All” as I travel weekly to my weekend home in Tagaytay? Not yet, but soon. Promise I’d call the PLDT hotline at 101-328 or to any PLDT booths in malls around the country to get the “Call All” privilege!