“A pretty girl is like a melody that haunts you night and day.” — Irving Berlin

Ladies, there is no need to wrap a scarf around your neck to hide that ugly scar across your throat after thyroid surgery.

“Nil desperandum”; do not despair for there has been a breakthrough in surgical procedure called the “scar-less” neck surgery or advanced “Endoscopic Thyroidectomy”. There is no more “slashing”, as it were, of the throat in traditional thyroid operations.

Under the experienced guidance and scholarship of Dr. Tran Ngoc Luong, Head of Surgery, of the National Endocrine Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, there are only two Filipino surgeons in the Philippines performing
this procedure.

One of them is fellow golfer, scuba diver and friend, Dr. Dubarry O. Sioco, PFCS, PALES, of Medical Center, Manila, who is a pioneer in laparoscopic surgery, Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery, and in Lap Cholecystectomy (gallbladder), Appendectomy, Hernia and colon surgery.

In the advanced Endoscopic Thyroidectomy, or “scar-less neck”, the thyroid gland is extracted thru a hidden axillary incision, somewhere from around the armpit.

The procedure is applicable to thyroid gland size up to 7 cm in diameter and for early thyroid carcinomas
where total thyroidectomy is warranted.

Dr. Dubarry Sioco assures patients and the public that the Medical Center Manila has the state-of-the-art treatment, including the laparoscopic tower and the indispensable “Harmonic Scalpel” which is the workhorse of advanced endoscopic surgery.

Further, committed to public service and conscious of exorbitant hospitalization expenses, the Medical Center focuses on affordability, service, and cost efficiency.

Dr. Dubarry Sioco can be contacted any day at the Medical Center Manila.

So the public will know.

* * *

HERE AND THERE

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” — Mario Puso

With the junking by the Commission on Elections of former Speaker Jose de Venecia’s petition declaring the merger of Lakas and Kampi null and void, the merged party has come out stronger; and can now focus on fast-tracking the candidacy of Defense Sec. Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro and packaging his “masa” appeal.

In the meantime, the two privilege speeches of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, for whatever motives, have inflicted mortal damage on former President Joseph Estrada’s presidential bid and popularity from which he may not be able to recover.

On the other hand, Sen. Manny Villar’s continued silence on the C-5 double insertion in the National Budget issue, and his inability to clear his name, is costing him a lot of “pogi” points with the public, and arousing doubts on his integrity and suitability for the Presidency.

As a result, Sen. Manny Villar has been slipping in the survey polls, and there is no noticeable bandwagon swell in his campaign.

Likewise, Sen. Chiz Escudero and Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalists Peoples Coalition (NPC) are like a couple waiting for the last bus at the bus stop that may or may not come as day darkens into night.

That leaves two first-degree cousins of the same illustrious pedigree battling for first place.

As Daniel Webster would have it, “There is always room at the top.”

Unless there is an unexpected coalition or consolidation of the competing opposition forces, it may be a tale of two phenomena.

On the one hand, a possible “flash-in-the-pan” phenomenon that was ignited by a funeral, and whose credentials remain unknown and untested.

On the other hand, there is the other phenomenon who was an unknown “dark horse” from the outside lane that just kept galloping to the inside lane.

At this point, Sec. Gilbert Teodoro has a lot of catching up to do which is not so difficult given the resources, organization and network of Lakas-Kampi.

However, the Cory magic of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino could just be a meteorite lighting the night sky in a brief moment of glory.

You be the judge. (For comments and views, please e-mail: chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph)