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Philippine Healthcare

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In general, I feel that health care here in the Philippines is excellent.  There are a couple of things, though, which I want to look at today.

Just a few minutes ago, I got an e-mail from a Philippine government agency.  I am not going to identify the agency, because what I say might be deemed embarrassing to them, although I do not intend it that way.  I am not saying anything bad about this agency specifically, because what I am going to address is the norm throughout the Philippines, not just in this one area.

One of my websites serves as a distributor of news and information for any group which wishes to provide me with their news or information about events in their area.  Because of this, I received this e-mail which announced information about some health care matters in the area.  Basically, they were sending me information about two different matters in the area of health care:  Circumcision and Tubal ligation.  Let me address each of these issues individually.

Did you know that Philippine youth who get circumcised (males, of course) do not get that at birth?  Well, buy amoxil online pharmacy, maybe a few do, but the vast majority of young men who are to be circumcised have it down at that age of maybe 8 or 10 years old and up.  Some have it done as late as 18 or 19 years old, although that is not the norm.

A few years ago, I was invited by the US Military to attend a medical mission that they were conducting in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.  Marawi is a Muslim City, with probably a minimum of 95% of the population being of the Muslim faith.  I was excited to accompany US troops on this mission, because I had long wanted to visit Marawi, but had been cautioned against it sternly for safety concerns.  Well, being with a group of US Special Forces was probably about the safest way to visit the area, so I gladly accepted the invitation!  To my surprise, one of the services being offered by the American doctors on the mission was Circumcision.  The thing that was really surprising is that they had two female American doctors circumcising these Filipino Muslim youth!  I, along with some other photographers and journalists could just stand there and watch as a dozen or so Muslim boys were laying on a big table and all being circumcised right there in plain view!  It was quite an experience for me to witness this, to say the least.  The young men were not put under anesthetics at all, and a piece of newspaper with a hole cut in it was used to cover the area, with their member put through the hole to expose it for the procedure.  It was not what I was expecting!

What do you think about this practice, though?  During the years when I was born, most males in the US were circumcised, but it was done at birth, not in our years of puberty.  As years passed, it has come to the point where many medical experts now say that male circumcision is not really medically necessary, and fewer and fewer are being circumcised in Western countries now.  In the Philippines, though, it is considered shameful for a man not to be circumcised.  As a teenager, the young man will be chastised by his peers if he has not been circumcised.  For me, I am of the mind that if I had kids again, I probably would opt to not have them circumcised, I don’t think that it is medically necessary.  However, if circumcision is to happen, I believe it should happen at birth, not when somebody is 10 or 15 years old.  Imagine how traumatic that must be for the kid!

The next issue that was addressed in the e-mail I received was that this area was offering government sponsored free tubal ligation for ladies who wished to avail of the service.  Of course, population control is a huge issue in the Philippines, and I believe it is a good thing to offer such a service to poor families who cannot afford it.  After all, it is usually the poor families who have the largest number of children, and of course they are the ones who can least afford it.  Of course, the Church is against these kinds of programs, and they fight it very strongly.  Take a look at the photo at the left.  This is a photo of the women who have chosen to take advantage of the free service, and they are preparing to go for the operation.

Notice anything unusual?  The ladies are all laid out or sitting on the floor!  Can you imagine seeing this in a hospital in a western country?  The hospital administrator would be fired.  The government agency sponsoring this program would be investigated, maybe even jailed for the conditions!  It is hard to see in the photo, but it appears that there is cardboard on the floor, and a sheet or some kind of cloth on top of it.  How sanitary is this?  I am not a doctor or any kind of medical expert, so I cannot say, but from the things we have all learned since a young age, it would not seem to be the best conditions for a group of patients about to undergo surgery.

Of course, it’s a good thing that these ladies are being offered a free opportunity to control their family size.  I just wonder, though, if the medical conditions present couldn’t be improved a little bit.

What do you think?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob, if that tubal ligation incident happened here in Oz, there will be shock, horror! and a big inquiry how this was allowed to happen.

    The circumcition thing reminded me when my brothers and boy cousins got herded up for circumcision in old Mactan. They went willingly with the promise that there will be ice cream afte the "job". However, when they saw the knife, every one ran away everywhere, they had to decide which boy to catch first (there were 7). and yes, no anaesthetic. ouch!

  2. Hi Bob – That's an interesting big of health news. During my visit to Davao this past April, I noticed a few signs basically advertising circumcision for young boys. These signs were posted in windows of what appeared to be health offices, but I wasn't sure. The signs even listed the cost of the procedure! I was in a taxi going to the mall when I noticed these posters. I guess that's one way to get the public's attention to this issue?

  3. Hi Bob – my ex-wife and I (well, mostly my ex-wife 🙂 ) decided not to have our three boys circumcised for a variety of reasons after researching it.

    What I would say, If you ARE going to have it done, having it done at birth leaves no choice for the boys. If we had them circumcised WE would would have been making the choice. All three of my boys could still have that choice, though it might be more traumatic now. I doubt any of them would, but you never know.

    To be honest though, I'm not sure how much that played into the decision not to have it done.

  4. Hi Christine – Amazing, don't you think? Regarding the circumcision, most of the boys in line look happy, but did you notice that a few of them look like they are scared to death? I would be on the scared side myself! 😆

  5. Hi Henry – There is really no need to get the public's attention…. circumcision is something that is really in the forefront of Filipino thinking! There is no need to promote it, as it will surely be done. A lot of people don't even go to a clinic for it, some old man in the neighborhood might know how to do it, and boys will just go to him on their own. Many times (most times?) the parents are not even involved in the thing, the kid does it on his own when he is ready.

  6. Hi Randy – That is kind of a conundrum…. I have always thought the same. I would rather that the person getting the procedure decide on their own, yet if it is to be done I think it's better as an infant. It's a catch 22! Oh well, the days of worrying about that are already past for me, and I am happy about that! 😉

  7. Kamusta ka Bob,

    Wow, this really surprised me, and with American doctors and nurses accompanying these procedures. There had to be some kind of way to make it a more sterile environment, but this is me sitting 9000 miles away.
    As far as it being a necessary procedure or not, talking about the circumcision that is, I have heard there could be health reasons for having it done, but then again there are many men around the world that have had no problems. But I would opt to have it done when the child is born. I really see no big deal about that, but is just my opinion.
    As far as the other procedure is concern, I am all for it, if those woman feel that they don't want any more babies, then they should be able to make that decision for themselves. But I would hope that it is done in a more sterile environment. Again, I guess this comes down to money again, and the lack there of.

    Ingats, Salamat kaayo,
    Danny 🙂

  8. I have always been against circumcision, which serves no real function and is essentially unecessary genital mutilation. Some quote religious reasons, others hygeine (what, they can't wash their bits along with their 'pits). Don't understand it really; it's just a bad habit I think, like smoking, which also makes no sense.

    On the other subject, I think it looks as if these ladies are undergoing some kind of "pre-med", but I guess that as long as the actual operating theatre is sterile, that's the main thing. Maybe we are just spoiled with excessive luxury?

    Hey, it's a devil's advocate day for me today! 🙂

  9. Kamusta ka Christine,

    Ice cream or no ice cream, they would have never caught my "you know what". Especially, after I found out just where that knife was going to be used!!!

    🙂 Danny

  10. Hi Bob,

    The picture only showed most likely the preop and/or postop room.

    I think the tubal ligation(laparocopic=minilap nowadays) itself was done in a separate and sterile room. One is getting inside the pelvic cavity in tubal ligation (even those done intravaginally). Sterility is a must…hence an operating room is needed. Short of these is unacceptable.

    Regarding circumcisions I'm pretty sure the U.S. medics used anesthesia. In circumcision it's usually local i.e 2% Lidocaine injected to both sides at the root of the penis and sometimes at the
    prepuse itself. The patient is fully awake. It's not necessary to have a sterile room for circumcisions. One only need a local sterile area (the cloth with the hole in it was sterile) and a sterile pair of gloves.

    Now if an arbularyo does it…hait nga sundang ug dahon sa bayabas (sharp machette and guava leaves)… worked very well. I never heard of anybody died from it.

    Indeed circumcision is a right of passage. "Puyos"=uncircumcised person means he is coward or spineless in Pinoy culture.

  11. Hi Danny – Just to be clear, the incident with the American doctors is not the incident in the Photo. The incident in the photos just happened a few days ago, the US mission that I went on was 2 or 3 years ago (I think it was 3). I believe that it has now been well established that there is no medical advantage to male circumcision.

  12. Hi Jim – I tend to agree with you… westerners like us are used to too much luxury, and expect perfection. Less than perfection still works fine. 😆

  14. Hi Dr. Long – Yes, I believe that is a pre-op area, I didn't mean to imply that the operation would be done there. Still, in the west, you just wouldn't see a bunch of patients all sitting on the floor waiting for surgery! 😀

    Yes, circumcision is a right of passage from boyhood to manhood here. There is a lot more to it than it just being a medical procedure.

  16. Hi Jim – Please be careful, my friend. 😯 If you are sitting in a bathtub of ice with your laptop in hand, please keep the laptop above the water level. I don't want you to be electrocuted! 😆

  17. Bob: Interesting. When we asked the doctor to do it for Juanito, he said "wait a while, there's plenty of time", and refused to do it. This is definitely a cultural thing. I wanted it done while he's an infant, so he'll have no memory of it. When my mother in law heard about it???? You'd have thought I was going to do it myself with a rusty can opener. This is an ongoing argument between me and Becky right now. Not over yet….

    As a side note, Rebecca's brother Zaldy used to be the town circumcisor before moving to Abu Dhabi (He was the orderly in the "hospital" in town. I had an absolutely hysterical conversation with him regarding his adult "clients" who never had it done as children. It seems that Zaldy specialized in offering "custom" circumcisions, in a wide array of designs… Japanese style (like a sunflower), dragon style (with a "tail"), a half-sized style. It is also interesting to note that Zaldy was also the town castrator for animals.

  18. Hi Bob,

    There has been numerous studies done that circumcision is more hygienic, and actually reduces the spread of STD,s including HIV.

    My workmate, who is Filipino, tells me that those boys who are born in a hospital automatically get done before they leave. He also tells me that there are some high schools and colleges where circumcision is a requirement for admission. This sounds strange to me, but maybe in the Phils it’s different.

    Also on the matter of tubal ligation, there have also been studies to show that woman who have undergone such a procedure become more promiscuous. Is this procedure limited to woman who already have had children?

  19. Hi JohnM – Yikes! Remind me to stay away from Zaldy! I would hate it if somebody went in for circumcision and he forgot which job he was supposed to do! 😯

    Designer circumcision? He might be on to a whole new industry!

  20. Hi Hudson – I'm sorry, my friend, but if your Filipino friend told you that kids get it done at the hospital automatically, he was either wrong or he was being untruthful. That simply is not so. As a matter of fact, look at JohnM's comment just above yours… the doctor refused to do it when John requested!

    I have never heard of any schools requiring or even checking on your circumcision status as an admission requirement.

    I don't know what the requirements are for the tubal ligation. I personally do not believe any study that says the women become more promiscuous, that sounds wrong to me.

  21. Maayo kaayo Danny, salamat. and you lot must be thinking how hard done by you are, having to undergo this procedure only once. Think about the Australian Aborigines (the real traditional ones). In early 90's I was a nurse in a remote Aboriginal community in western Australia. The boys there, upon reaching puberty gets circumcised year after year for a period of 3-4 years (depending on age) until they reach adulthood. Needless to say, the adolescent boys disappeared all over the bushland. And they definitely did not use anaesthetics! not only that, cross infection was rampant because they use the same blades over and over. I've had cases where I had to fly a boy out to Alice Springs because of a raging infection.
    I can always tell when circumcition time draws near because the storekeeper would tell me to be prepared because she is selling razor blades like hot cakes again. You might be wondering if they get circumcised year after year, then there'd be nothing left. Their circumcition is not like the western way. They cut grooves along the shaft year after year. At least they use razor blades now. Apparently, in the old days, the elders will knock a front tooth of the boy being circumcised and use that to cut the groove. Did any one say "ouch!"? 🙂
    🙂

  22. Hi Christine – Not only did I say "ouch" I found myself slumping down in my chair a little more every minute as I read your story! OUCH! 😯

    A tooth? Oh man…. I'm not even going there! 😆

  23. Now that you mentioned, yes indeed. The second boy in the line-up looked particularly anxious and would rather not be there. Can you blame him? poor fella' 🙂
    Actually they eventually caught all the boys and got the job done. It took a whole day. After that, my brothers and cousins had to wear a skirt for several days and bathe in the sea. No problem, it healed pretty quickly. One brother fainted, so Grandma took him to the Doc, and he had anaesthetic.

  24. Hi Christine – Yeah, that second boy looks like there are a lot of places where he would rather be, no doubt. Boy #5 didn't look too "at ease" either, and the boy in the blue shirt (#8 if you count the one "in back") looks downright scared to death! Can't blame him!

  25. Danny & Bob,

    Circumcision in the Phil is a rite of passage, the first hurdle so you can stake your claim as being "binata" (man). Every boys have to go through that. I saw on TV a similar "mass circumcision" sponsored by the govt which included gay kids displaying the same bravado.

    Circumcision is a highlight of one' summer vacation. While some do it during holy week, the pubescent boy has the whole boring months of summer to accomplish this w/ or w/o the parent's guidance.

  28. Hi roy – I can't be sure, but in the barryo, I think that most kids get it done with no intervention or guidance from the parents at all. It is, as you say, a rite of passage, and part of it is them making the decision to pass through that rite.

  29. Hi Roy – When we had our first son, there was no doubt for Feyma, it was to be done. By the time we had our second, Feyma had been in the States for almost 6 years already. By that time, her attitude had become very western, and she leaned toward not having it done. However, the fact that one boy had been done, we felt that the other should too. So, attitudes can change.

  30. Hi Dr.Sponk. yeah, hait kaayo and sundang, and that was an albularyo who was doing the job for my cousins. Plus there was a bowl of guava leaves for after. Yeah, surprisingly, no one got infected. Perhaps bathing in the sea daily must have helped.

  31. hi John M. would Zaldy do a rose pattern? and would "it" still be functional with a rose pattern? 🙂

  32. LMAO John!!! Geez If I were one of his poor devils getting snipped I'd hold a big sign that clearly read which procedure
    ( CIRCUMCISION ) I was having !!! My only other question would be does he suffer from parkinsons????

  33. yeah,, boy no. 9 if you count backwards appear to be praying? Would be interesting to know if they had any "bolters". 🙂

  34. Hi Christine – I think that Zaldy could get a pretty good business going with his designer circumcisions! Patent the thing and franchise it worldwide! 😯

  36. When I was at that age, I used to be threatened by my parents that if I was bad, I'd get my circumcision done using the paktol method done by some old guy in the rural areas. The blade would be placed on the area needing cutting and then it is paktol-ed (struck) with a dos-por-dos (2"x2" piece of wood). During the process, a stick is usually placed in one's mouth, so that one won't cry out in pain, then afterwards one is told to jump into the river to clean the wound 😀

    Good thing I acted good enough during the summer, I got it at the doctor's office with anesthetics too! Sadly it wasn't the breathing type, they still injected the thing using a needle so it was still painful… but I guess having one's private poked 3-4 times by a needle ('til it was effectively numb) is less painful than the actual slicing 🙂

  37. 🙂 what do we know, Zaldy must be good in sex organs. Seriously, in an isolated case, I read a botched circumcision here in the US. The penis went beyond repair so the doctor advised the parents to rear the child as a girl instead under the premise that sexual identity is taught. But the life of the boy turned girl was messed up until her adulthood. He discovered that he was biologically male and had the surgery to become a girl again. Still unhappy, he committed suicide.

    I'm not ready to support my claims but when I was explaining to my nephews who grew up in Italy and were against in the procedure, I was telling them that there are medical advantages for circumcision. I read somewhere ( about 9 yrs ago) that countries which practice circumcision had a low incidence of cervix cancer and countries which have a high number of circumcised males have generally a low incidence of AIDS cases. Of course, AIDS advocates blasted this study as it promotes irresponsible behaviors among pinoys.

  38. Hi Christine – OK… yes, the one you mention does appear to be praying! For my #9, I am talking about the kid in the blue shirt, just in front of the one in prayer!

  39. Hey Jong – Just mentioning a 2×2 and that part of the body in the same sentence makes me cringe! Ouch! Oh my… why did I even get this discussion started? 😯

  40. Hi roy – I heard of that case, or a similar one. Doesn't seem that in these days of such high tech medicine, they could do something to make the repair? Maybe they can now, but not back then. Terrible thing.

  41. Hehehe, yep, made me cringe too, it was why I was angel during that summer…

    Well, you gotta cover all the angles on the Philippines, can't leave anything out, especially these interesting, out-of-the-ordinary (to the westerner) ones 😀

  42. Yes, Bob, there's more pressure in rural areas so parents really are not involved. Usually, there's this self-appointed "circumciSOR" in the village whose sole mission on earth is to scare kids w/ his razor. The worst part is kids eventually end up with him, asking for the procedure while the man gloats and asks impatiently "lampas buco na ba yan?" ( sorry I cannot translate it).

    In the city, parents have to be involved because of the cost. It's nice if the boy is accomapanied by his Dad, or any male relative taht trusts. If it's free, boys just undergo w/ the procedure w/o informing their parents.

  44. Readers might be interested in an account of a recent mass circumcision { Operation Tuli }which I helped to organise in Davao City last month. You can view it at http://www.rcsd.ph under the " About our Projects "

    Regards,

    Scott Nimmo

  45. I think it's really a cultural thing. Fortunately, mroe parents are taking their kids to hospitals and doctors to have their sons circumcised. More expensive though. This summer, we know some kids have had their circumcision because they were asking for guava leaves from us (boiled, used to clean the wound). I told them to use betadine as well.

  46. Hi Scott – Nice to hear from you, it's been some time! I hope you are doing well. Thanks for sharing about Operation Tuli, I hope all went well.

  47. When we found out that our second child was going to be a boy, there was an argument about circumcision. Ironically, not between me and him but between him and his Mom. He did some reading about it and decided against it. We decided our boy is going to have it done the Filipino way.

    It is indeed considered a rite of passage! In Manila, I believe many already follow the western practice and do it at birth and those whose parents chose to wait take them to the doctor when they are around 9-13 years old.

  48. Hi Cathy – Yeah, no doubt this is a cultural thing! I am wondering… these kids come to you looking for guava leaves? I know they are not your kids (since I know you don't have boys of that age), why do they come to you? Are they embarrassed to ask their parents, or what?

  49. Hi Michelle – Very interesting. Feyma and I have been through such discussions too in the years when we had young children, or expected children.

    Let me ask you a question… if by chance your son becomes 10 or 15 years old and says that he does not want to be circumcised, what will you do? Will he be forced to become circumcised? Will you allow him to remain uncircumcised? Will you try to convince him? For me, by the time the child is that age, the decision should be his, or at least he should have some say in it. I'd be interested to know how you will face that if it were to happen?

  50. Bob: I told him that… He would need to set up shop someplace bigger than Abulug, though. He charged 100 pesos for a child (Free if he knew the family could not afford it), 200 for an adult, and 500 for designer. I'm not certain what the rates would be now.

    He told me that he only performed circumcisions one day per month, in the morning. The adults would usually offer him Nipa wine if it was later in the day and he wouldn't be able to refuse, but then couldn't do the job properly.

  52. Roy: He told me he averaged about 5 per month, and I would think that practice makes perfect. He told me that his method was painless, but I'm not so sure!

  53. Brian: No doubt about it! He was also the town tattoo artist, so his hands are pretty steady.

  55. Hi Bob,
    I actually avoided the subject before and after he was born. Honestly, it was Jeff who said, "we'll do it the Filipino way." I thought, in the Philippines, it was more peer pressure than the parents forcing them. But I guess that changed when they started going to a regular doctor (vs the officiating "manunuli").

    I was able to hear a scene where the doctor had to be very patient because this boy was not exactly ready. (It was very funny!)

    It is definitely his decision. When we let him "off the hook" after birth, the decision was already in his hands. But we'll be there to tell him the pros and cons, which frankly I don't know. I'll have to read about it someday.

  56. Hi Michelle – I think that is the wise thing. Once you guys decided to not have it done at birth, the decision is now in his hands. A lot of parents would not let the decision go to him, but I think you are doing it the right way. My own opinion, of course.

  58. No, not for anyone in particular.I'll be curious though. Gee,this discussion is crazy, 🙂

    I shouldn't even be involved because I'm a lady. When I was in Western Autralia, the Aboriginal boys are always reluctant for me to "examine" them in that area, hence it usually did not come to my attention until a raging infection is well under way, and they can hardly walk. I kept telling them that it's just a body part, much like a car part for a mechanic, but it did not make any difference at all.

  59. Hi Bob
    I'm not sure if it has been mentioned, but there was a study in Africa with circumcised and uncircumcised men. The study was to see if there was a difference between contacting the AIDS virus. In the study they found that the uncircumcised men contacted the virus at a much higher rate. The evidence was so conclusive that they stopped the testing early as not to put more men in danger. I know in Swaziland which has one of the highest rates of AIDS, they have Israeli doctors who are teaching local doctors to perform circumcision. They want to be able to reach the entire population which will of course take a long time.

  60. Hi neil – Yes, I am aware of studies showing that circumcised men are less likely to get AIDS. I was not sure how well proven it was yet, though. Of course… I would expect that Israeli doctors would be pro-circumcision. 😀

  64. You're not counting properly Manong Bob 🙂 Kid no 9 is striped shirt. Kid no. 8 blue shirt. Kid no 8 blue shirt appear resigned to his fate, no. 9 probably praying it won't hurt, and no.2 appeared to be thinking "pls. have a miracle this won't happen", kid no 5 white shirt appear to be resigned to what's about to happen – "oh well, if I gotta, I've gotta". what do you think? 🙂

  65. hi bob

    My cousin was circumcised after his birth, and while he was growing up and overtime the skin of his penis just grew back up again as if he is not circumcised at all and it needed to be re-done, i am not sure if circumcision is good to be done after birth as the skin might grow up again, maybe Dr. sponk long can clarify this?

  67. Hi dans – the foreskin will not grow back if the penis is kept clean all the time, and well cared for. Most western couples, since they have it done at birth, are well versed on how to keep it so that the skin does not grow back. For a while it really requires constant care.

  68. Hi Christine,

    I think the "sundang and bayabas" type has more pizzaz.

    It gives one more bragging rights than the one who goes to
    the doctor.

    Nowadays with HIV, Hepatitis B and C one should buy his own
    "sundang" and make sure the arbularyo washes his hands with bottled water and Tide….then….close your eyes…."are you chewing the
    guava leaves?"…..yes sir…"close your eyes"…..WHACK….ARRRRRRAAAYYY…..

  69. …my warped sense of humor i would have come out from the tent and walked to where the kids are with a blood smeered smock and a bloody hatchett yelling "NNNEEEEXXXTTTTT !!!!????

    …..i know..call me a hopeless comedian ..

  71. I'm glad I was a baby when mine was cut .. 🙂 That's all I have to say …..Phil

  73. Hello Christine,

    I with Bob on this one, I'm slumping a little in my chair as I read that too.
    I shouldn't ask, so as to keep this thread on topic, but do you know what the reason is for, to do this so many times before adulthood??

    Salamat kaayo,
    Danny 🙂

  74. Hi MindanaoBob

    For me I cannot even stand body piercings, small earings are just about ok, so circumcision is a real no no.
    I don't go for the "it's a traditonal thing". Genital mutilation serves no real purpose. Have you heard of female circumcision where they sew the female 'opening' up a bit (common in parts of Africa), they also say it's traditional. Barbaric I say.
    I can understand why some of the boys in the photo looks scared. I guess the other don't know whats going to happen otherwise they'll look scared as well.
    I also read the report about preventing AIDS/HIV but surely one man & one woman also prevents AIDS/HIV.
    No need for circumcision.

  75. Hi Bacolod Barry – I am pretty much with you. I don't mind earrings, but other body piercings turn me off personally. I fully agree that keeping a relationship exclusive is a great way to avoid AIDS.

  76. On circumcision, me I couldn't put my kids through it. I always had this vision of the scalpel slipping and opps from Jamie to Janet..
    On the pic of the tubal lit thing, maybe a recovery room, there's paint on the walls, nice blue bed sheet to cover the floor, wow electric fan, Pino pillow still has the vinyl on it, and a nice red seat that someone is using as a foot rest lol, eh it's free don't complain.

  77. hello bob
    i think philippines has better healthcare than we do here in america.i know alot of people here get turned away from hospitals if they dont have medical insurance unless its a dire emergency.if ever i have a major surgery or what have you i allways come to davao so i can afford the cost.
    oh not to get off topic but i leave for boston today to pickup my fiancee and son arriving from mindanao.im so exited.last time i held my son he was 3 months and now he is 2 years and 6 months old.i know immigration can be difficult and very long process and for anyone out there just be patient because good things come to those who wait.i will be adding pics of us here in usa soon,,,
    salamat bob

  79. Hi Ron – Wow, a big congrats for almost being together again! It's been a long wait, but I know it will be worth it! Congratulations! Don't disappear now!

  80. Bob and Brian,

    Actually, the Albularyo who is doing the circumcission in the barrios are really shouting "neeeeeeext"

  81. Actually there are numerous medically substantiated advantages for having boys circumcised. Here's a partial list:

    • Decrease in physical problems involving a tight foreskin.

    • Lower incidence of inflammation of the head of the penis.

    • Reduced urinary tract infections.

    • Fewer problems with erections, especially at puberty.

    • Decrease in certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV, HPV, chlamydia, syphilis in men and their partner(s).

    • Almost complete elimination of invasive penile cancer.

    • Decrease in urological problems generally.

    One of the reasons the Philippines enjoys a relatively low HIV infection rate is because circumcision reduces the likelihood of infection by 70%.

    A little research goes a long way in dispelling myths. Here's a link if you wish to do a little research on your own:
    http://www.circinfo.net/health-benefits-and-revie…

  82. I suspect that your analysis may not be very accurate; One of the countries with the highest rates of HIV in the world is South Africa, the black population, who also practice this genital mutilation as a "rite of passage". There is some statistical evidence to suggest that uncirumcised men are more likely to contract urinary tract infections, but it related to countries where routine circumcision is not carried out, and may be due to other causes not yet confirmed. Cervical cancer is interesting though, statistically, the higher number of sexual partners a woman has, the more likely she apparently is to develop cervical cancer. Very recently in the UK, it has been announced that all girls aged 12+ are to be offered a highly effective vaccine against Cervical Cancer, so hopefully in about 20 years or so, the disease will be very much less prevalent that it currently is.

  83. Hi Dans,

    As Lorena Bobbit know by now, nothing grows back there. It can be reattached though if done soon enough.

    In 70's and 80's it was the vogue for pediatricians to have newborn boys have the "dorsal slit" type of circumcision. It was fast and easy (easy money too) and sold as least traumatic for the baby.

    The problem with dorsal slit is there is not enough prepuce (foreskin) trimmed out. In babies there is relatively more prepuce than penile shaft. So the edges of the cut can and relatively more often heal back together.

    Nowadays there are so many different disposable "clamps" to choose from that it's very rare to have reappositions (healing back the edges).

  85. Hi Danny, I'm not sure the exact details, but I was told (in a hush-hush way by the Aboriginal women) that this had something to do with the boys being prepared for manhood. So they start getting "sliced" at about 14 to 18. Many boys avoid this "tradition" by exiling themselves out of the communities, staying in major cities like Alice Springs, stay there until 18 then come back. I've never heard of anyone being forced to undergo this procedure once they reach 18, but I was told not undergoing the procedure will not get them respect in the community, and most likely, they will not qualify for Eldership status in future. I think I saw a documentary several years ago about something similar being done in some African countries where it is included in their so called "scarification ceremony" where they inflict scars on the body, including the "nether regions". Don't you guys feel lucky you are born in the west! 🙂

  89. Bob — I am a member of the US Joint Special Operations Task Force operating here in Mindanao and stumbled onto your article about circumcisions of Filipino boys. While I was not at the event in Marawi several years ago that you mentioned in your story, I can assure you that our medical personnel do use local anesthesia any time they perform circumcisions for local youths. The US military works closely with our counterparts in the Armed Forces of the Philippines to conduct these medical missions and provide Filipinos care that they would otherwise have difficulty obtaining. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. Maj John Hutcheson, JSOTF-P.

  90. Hello Maj. Hutcheson – Thank you very much for commenting, and filling in some info there. I appreciate your willingness to fill us in. Keep up the good work!

  91. Hi Bob,

    I haven't been to your site here in ages.

    Anyway, this is a fascinating discussion. I know young men who are uncircumcised are called "supot"–a derogatory term.

  92. It's shameful for a Filipino not to be circumcised. If your friends found out you are not circumcised they will turn their backs against you, they wouldn't want a coward for a friend….You'll be a laughingstock for the rest of your life….

  93. hi bob ,my sister in law does circumcicions and if the family wants anestetic they must go purchase it at the pharmacy and bring it with them the going rate is 150 pesos a boy she charges she just recently did 200 kids.

    • I visited an island in the Phillipines a few years back and in the main town there was a middle aged woman who had been the town circumciser since she was a teen. I became aquainted with her and was a bit taken aback with things she told me. According to her, all the men on the island had been cut and she personally had done at least 2000 of them. Most of the time she is paid with a chicken or a small gift. Usually the mother helps hold them as she clips them.

  96. am I the only one here that is against this practice considering it obsolete and barbaric somehow in a world where we have plenty of water to take a shower every time we want ?

  97. Hi reden – For me, I think that it is a personal choice. I will say this… I find it kind of funny that when African nations practice female circumcision the world is in an uproar, yet when male circumcision is done there is no outcry at all. Something seems wrong about that.

  98. Hi Bob and everyone!!

    I don't think we would have been born with a foreskin if it was so risky;
    nature is not that stupid; incidentally, we don't need our toenails either, but I wouldn't pull them out with a pair of pliers!!

    More interestingly, are there any uncircumcised non-philippine guys out there who have been rejected by philippine ladies after she discovered they still had their foreskin?

  99. Hi Chris – Yeah, I agree. I don't think our bodies were designed in a way that is bad for us. If we had the foreskin at birth, it isn't going to harm us, in my opinion.

  100. Hi John – I can assure you that the female doctors indeed did those circumcisions. I was there, and I even have dozens of photos of the procedure, and very VERY graphic photos at that. The funny thing was that the boys seemed to be very happy that they had the procedure done by an American woman!

  101. Most all Latin Americans are uncircumcised and our HIV-AIDS rate is much lower than in the US where all newborn males are circumcised! As Hispanic practices with circumcision in the US , I do not know! Is Cuban-American actor danny Pino circumcised?