In times of conflict like these just when the United States is about to engage in an all-out war in Iraq while threats of worldwide terrorism continue to persist, the least that anybody could hope for is to be separated from his or her family.

But 41 physicians, nurses and volunteers from the Philippine-American Medical Mission of Metropolitan Washington DC (PAMMMW) are taking that risk, sacrificing personal safety and the worries of their respective families for one noble task – so that others may live more comfortably, so that our less-fortunate countrymen could enjoy the blessings of good health.

PAMMMW has been conducting a full-service medical mission at the President Diosdado Macapagal General Hospital (PDMGH) in Guagua, Pampanga since February 10 until yesterday (February 14) oblivious to the possibility that the 20 doctors, 10 nurses and 11 other volunteers will not be home in Washington when the US finally decides to attack Iraq.

The PAMMMW delegation paid a courtesy call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Wednesday afternoon.

"That’s the risk we are taking and we might get stranded in the Philippines (should war break out in Iraq)," said PAMMMW president Henry M. Balagtas.

But for these Fil-Am volunteers, any risk is worth taking as "long we are able to share the blessings and give back whatever we are able to reap in the US by helping our less privileged countrymen."

Another physician, Yolly Arzadon, could be in her 50s but the long travel across the world or the Iraqi conflict could not stop her from rendering free medical service at the PDMGH.

"(The Iraqi conflict) did not deter us. In fact, we came here with all the medication needed, all the equipment we would need. This is our own little way of giving back," said Arzadon whose husband, Johnny, is also part of the PAMMMW team.

PAMMMW official Ernie Cordero said the medical mission was a "form of Bayanihan because it is a labor of love."

"We know we can make a difference that’s why these risks do not matter," Cordero said.

And what made the PAMMMW mission noteworthy is that the Fil-Am volunteers brought with them medicines they, themselves, collected from the thousand of samples given them by pharmaceutical firms.

Another thing that makes their work laudable: they’re personally paying for their fare and all other expenses in the country.

"All year long, we keep these samples with the objective of eventually bringing them with us to the Philippines," said Balagtas.

Balagtas said the World Medical Relief Center and Crosslink International have also provided medicines at substantial discounts, allowing the PAMMMW to stack up on medical supplies before they come to the Philippines.

Balagtas added that other Filipino physicians from all over the US have donated medicines and medical equipment to the PAMMMW.

One such donor was physician Vic Victoriano who is now based in Albany, New York. He donated an anesthesia machine worth $40,000 to the PDMGH.

"I had to drive for seven hours back and forth just to get the machine. Now, it’s (anesthesia machine) there at the PDMGH," said Balagtas.

PAMMMW started its medical mission in the country in 2001 and has since treated 1,960 patients. For this year, it hopes to provide treatment to 2,500 patients in their five-day stint at the PDMGH.

The medical mission is an annual undertaking that had brought PAMMMW last year to Moncada, Tarlac under the auspices of the local government.

But what makes the effort of the PAMMMW more remarkable is that each of the 41 members of the medical mission voluntarily shouldered their respective expenses that reach an average of $2000 each.

Expenses include airfare from Washington and other costs such as billeting before they are transferred to the site of the medical mission.

"We also bring our own medical instruments, and whatever we can to help," said Cordero.

Balagtas said the PAMMMW is open to requests from local governments for medical missions that could be conducted in their respective regions.

Refrigerated containers unloaded in the ports of Cebu, Subic and other points of entry would be opened and subjected to inspection, in line with the government’s drive to deter the smuggling of food products into the country.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had earlier ordered the Anti-Smuggling Task Force under former Presidential Security Group commander Brig. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to include major ports nationwide in the task force’s area of operations.

But the government would allow the containers of legitimate food importers, particularly those engaged in bringing in processed meat and vegetables, to be inspected close to or in their cold storage facilities.

Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo, in a media briefing Friday in Malacanang, said this would avoid inconveniences and undue increases in costs of bringing the food products in.

Lorenzo said the containers in transport would be closely guarded to erase doubts that the food products were legally imported.

He said the Department of Agriculture (DA) had become "quite aggressive in the anti-smuggling task force" and its personnel had been joining Gen. Esperon and Customs officials in inspections since December last year.

So far since December, the task force has seized in the Port of Manila alone 125 of close to 900 containers inspected for lack of documentation, he added.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has said that even if there is a signature campaign urging her to be the standard bearer of the Lakas-NUCD party in the 2004 elections, she would not reconsider her decision of not seeking the presidency in next year’s polls.

"Thank you, pero hindi na po (Thank you, but I would never run)," the President emphatically said when asked by caller in the TV program, Diyos at Bayan, if she would be willing to be a candidate if there is a signature campaign that would ask her to reconsider her decision.

The TV program, aired Wednesday night, was hosted by Bishop Eddie Villanueva of Jesus is Lord Movement.

One persistent caller even told the President that she could be denying the country and the Filipino people of her unselfish and dedicated services by not running in 2004. "Please don’t deprive us of your services," the caller said.

But the President answered that like Moses her job is to build the foundation of a strong Republic so that other future leaders could improve on it and achieve the prosperity that we all seek.

"Moses led the people out of slavery but he was not the one who led them into the Promised Land," the President said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has instructed the Department of Finance (DoF) to coordinate with Congress and the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to find out what amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) are needed to conform with the FATF requirements.

In an interview, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said that the Philippine government should know what are really the requirements to solve the dilemma of the 7 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who would suffer when the FATF decides to impose sanctions against the Philippines starting March 15.

In a separate interview, Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho said that the one-month extension given to the Philippines by the FATF would give Congress enough time to work on the amendments to the AMLA to satisfy the requirements of the FATF.

Bunye said that the President has instructed Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo to meet with the United States Ambassador Francis Ricciardone to solicit the latter’s support in blocking the sanctions as the Philippines tries to comply with the requirements.

Bunye said the United States, which is a voting member of the FATF, has big influence over the coordinating body.

The President likewise directed the Department of Labor and Employment and the Office of the Press Secretary to prepare primers about the possible sanctions and actions that the Philippine government can do to address this problem. This will be distributed to overseas Filipino workers.

Malacaņang likewise appealed to the legislators, who have strong oppositions to the amendments in the AMLA to reconsider their stand.

"This is not a joke anymore, because if the sanctions begin, brought by the FATF, all transactions of our OFWs will be scrutinized and this will create delays," Bunye said.

"Not only delays but the OFWs will incur additional cost in the processing of their remittances," Bunye said.

The United States has nothing to do with the decision of the Philippine government to permanently ban an Iraqi diplomat for the latter’s reported involvement with the Abu Sayyaf following a deadly bomb attack in Zamboanga City last October, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said today.

"This is a separate decision," Bunye said in an interview.

Bunye noted it would seem that the decision of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to expel the diplomat followed the phone call Tuesday night of U.S. President Bush with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

But in fact, Bunye said, the Philippine government had already decided, before the phone call between the Presidents, to banish the Iraqi diplomat.

"Ang katunayan (In fact), in the (Tuesday) afternoon ay mayroon ng desisyon dito sa (there was already a decision on the) Iraqi 2^nd secretary," Bunye said.

Moreover, Bunye said the DFA has given the Iraqi embassy time and the chance to act on the matter that involved its own staff. But unfortunately, the foreign chancery did not.

"Binigyan muna ng DFA ang Iraqi embassy ng pagkakataon na sila mismo ang gumawa ng aksyon sa kanilang tauhan pero nung mukhang hindi sila gagawa ng aksyon ay minarapat ng DFA na kanselahin na yung credentials o iyong accreditation nung 2^nd secretary (The DFA has given the embassy a chance to act on the matter that involved their own staff but it seems they are not inclined to do anything so the DFA decided to cancel the accreditation of the 2^nd secretary," Bunye said.

The DFA has withdrawn the diplomatic credentials of Iraq embassy 2^nd secretary Husham Hussain last Wednesday ang gave him 48 hours to leave the country.

A highly detailed intelligence report said Hussain had been in contact with an alleged Abu Sayyaf bandit following a deadly bomb attack last October 20 in Zamboanga City.

The bomb attack killed four people, including a U.S. solider. Another U.S. soldier was wounded in the blast.