Health care is expensive everywhere you go. But in most well-developed countries, health care is subsidized and available to all, regardless of social status. Not so in the Philippines.

In spite of PhilHealth, coverage is still limited to some conditions, and if you have multiple chronic diseases, there will still be out of pocket expenses that will drive you to bankruptcy. Our social safety net is shot full of holes.

So, what can we do? Falling ill in this country is a no-no. “Ika nga, bawal magkasakit!” Therein lies the rub. Are people really striving to be healthy, or just shrugging shoulders saying, “Bahala na!?”

If we’re really serious about health, then we should go the whole route: healthy diet, plenty of physical activity, and yes, weight bearing ones, and a wholesome mental attitude.

Our motto from now on should be: Help ourselves and our fellow citizens.

It starts from childhood. Feed our children nutritious food, not the fastfood garbage we keep binging on. Keep them safe from communicable diseases with vaccinations. Ensure they can play outdoors safely and not give them cell phones and tablets that they sit with all day, playing havoc with their mental health.

Let us buy from local vendors, especially those selling on roadside stalls, trade fairs, weekend markets and other pop-up sites. The profits go directly to the people selling. All that walking to the various vendors will do a lot for our health and wellbeing as well.

Patronize the informal economy. Buy fresh from neighborhood wet markets. You will find they are cheaper than the supermarket prices and much fresher too. You will also help the farmers, hog and chicken raisers, and the market vendors directly. Their incomes will not be subject to VAT that reduces it by 12 percent. If possible, buy directly from farmers markets and bypass the middlemen, giving more income to our poor farmers. When there’s a glut of fruits and vegetables, buy more at the usual prices if possible. You can always freeze or make them into juices, jams, and jellies.

Obviously, we still have to shop at local supermarkets and groceries as we cannot source all our needs from the abovementioned vendors. But it will go a long way toward our aims of staying healthy since we shouldn’t buy processed and ultrarefined food products sold commercially.

Do remember to bring your native bayong and other reusable containers to carry your purchases home with. Let’s avoid plastic bags as much as possible to prevent these from filling dumpsites and eventually landing in rivers and lakes, clogging our drainage systems and causing flooding. We can’t just blame the corrupt flood control project contractors solely if we also contribute to the problem with our garbage.

If majority of us can keep healthy and lead long and productive lives, instead of being frail and dependent on others, we will also reduce the strain on our health system which is currently overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the sick and the infirm. With less people in hospitals, the remaining sick can be cared for properly by our undermanned and overburdened health professionals. The money saved therein can be (hopefully) used to pay for the more severe cases. Let us keep our guard up against our taxes being stolen again by unscrupulous politicians.

Ultimately, the burden of keeping ourselves healthy rests on our own shoulders. If you have a homeowners association, or live in a barangay, you should ask your association or barangay to sponsor activities regularly such as Zumba sessions, chi gong, yoga, and other forms of physical activities.

Putting up small gyms in accessible areas can also attract men and women, young and old alike, to do weight training, which helps burn calories, build muscles, and keep bones strong. Women are particularly prone to sarcopenia and osteoporosis, which will render them frail and prone to fractures at older ages. The women need not worry about having bulging muscles. Their physical makeup and hormones don’t allow for such unless they take testosterone. A fit body will be more attractive with curves instead of bulges.

Attending rallies against corruption is a good way to be physically active. All that walking will definitely have health benefits and all that shouting will increase lung capacities. Carrying placards will keep our muscles strong and supple. It also pays to scream and shout about the obscene sums stolen by “congtractors,” “house representathieves” and “senatongs” in terms of our psychic health. Bottling up all that negative energy is not good for the mind already coping with the stresses of everyday survival.

So, yes, we can do something about our situation by being responsible for ourselves and for each other. As the late Senator Dr. Juan Flavier used to say, “Let’s do it!”