Palawan adventures, pet emergencies

Episode on April 2, 2008 Wednesday late night after Saksi Palawan is a famous dive site boasting of spectacular underwater sights including wreck dives of sunken World War II ships. In the 70s, theft and salvaging for profit of parts of these shipwrecks were rampant until outlawed by the government. Now the ships stand as silent sentinels underwater, guardians of our almost-forgotten past. Palawan too, is a haven for swiftlets, the nest of which is the primary source of - what else? - bird's nest soup or nido soup. Although not on the list of endangered species, the harvesting of these bird's nests is regulated by the province. Romi Garduce spoke with some of the men who brave the sharp limestone mountains of Coron just to collect these pricey swiftlets' saliva-smothered cribs. Dubbed as the country's last frontier, Palawan also has its shares of renegades, like the uling-makers of one sitio. The traditional way of making uling is to cut trees, burn and dry them. Although they are too few to pose as an immediate threat, they are nonetheless scarring and polluting the environment. And who would have thought that animals could suffer from the same ailments that we normally see on people? Doc Ferdz Recio, made the rounds in the Metro, responding to several favorite household pet emergencies. Doc Ferds operated on a Labrador/Sharpei for sty on both eyes, removed a Japanese spitz' tumor, operated on a dog with ascitis or engorged stomach and, spaying a cat.

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Paboritong dive site ng marami ang Palawan dahil sa kamangha-manghang underwater sights, kasama na ang mga lumubog na barko doon noong World War II. Noong dekada sitenta, marami sa mga barkong ito at ninakawan at ibinenta, mabuti na lamang at naipatigil na ito ng pamahalaan ng Palawan. Kilala rin ang probinsiyang ito sa delicacy niyang bird's nest soup - gawa sa pugad ng mga ibong balinsasayaw o swiftlet na matatagpuan sa matarik at matalim na limestone cliffs ng Coron. Ilan sa mga lalaking nangunguha nito ang kinilala ni Romi Garduce sa pagbisita niya sa Palawan. Last frontier nang maituturing ng Pilipinas ang Palawan, pero may mangilan-ngilan pa ring sumusuway sa mga panukalang-batas ng probinsiya gaya ng mga manggagagawa ng uling ng isang sitio sa lugar. Kahit alam nilang nakakasama sa kalikasan ang pagpuputol at pagsusunog ng puno para gawing uling, napipilitan pa rin silang gawin ito dahil sa kawalan ng pagkakakitaan. At sino naman ang mag-aakalang pati pala mga hayop ay dinadapyuan ng mga sakit na karaniwang matatagpuan lamang sa tao? Inikot ni Doc Ferds Recio ang Metro Manila bugso ng ilang animal emergencies na kanyang nilapatan ng lunas - gaya ng pag-oopera sa kuliti ng isang Labrador/Sharpei, pag-opera sa tumor ng isang Japanese spitz, pag-opera rin sa sakit na ascitis o namamagang tiyan ng paborito nating askal, pati na pag-spray sa pusa.