Whither Goest Thou, Sons of Solomon?
Uploaded by
Jimmy AndangWhither Goest Thou, Sons of Solomon?
Uploaded by
Jimmy AndangWhither goest thou, sons of Solomon?
By WB Sinsuat C. Andang, Jr.
For a couple of months I’ve been thinking twice of what will I do with my life and family
if no vaccine will be developed for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as reports from World
Health Organization (WHO) reveals that it is still in the early stage of developing the vaccine
and its availability will not likely to happen within a year. I am not prone to “wait and see”
attitude and I’ve got to plan to have a meaningful, happy and fulfilling life. I’ve been working
hard and sacrificing for my family and I think this pandemic is a challenge to me. I want to be
healthy to fulfill this plan and make it useful for the rest of the sphere of this contagion. After all
nobody plans to fail and those who fail simply forgot to plan. I don’t want this to happen to me
and my family. Life has to move on despite this plaque besetting us. I have to have a road map
where I should go. Quo vadis Sinsuat? That’s is what keeps on reverberating in my mind. My
time and effort spent in thinking where I will be going must be compensating. I have to visualize
my future.
I start by looking back before the pandemic. When I was still studying medicine at the
Virgin Milagrosa Institute of Medicine at Pangasinan, Philippines, I always wish to graduate
within the curriculum year prescribed by the Department of Education on Higher Learning. My
plan to graduate materialize as I graduated in the year 1987. I then reviewed for the Board
Examination for Physician and took the examination given by the Philippine’s Professional
Regulation Commission in 1988 and passed the same.
I practiced as rural physician in the small town of Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat in
Mindanao which is less than thirty minutes away from the town where I grew up, in the City
Tacurong. My residency training was in an under-resourced rural area and the job offered me in
another rural area did not give me hesitation as it is my intention to help my brother Muslim and
Christian in the far flung barangays. They were deprived of health services and this I will not
deprive them of my services. Having grown up in a rural setting did not faze me to dwell in
another rural area.
As a physician, I always make it a point that I should provide the people with steadfast
and dedicated service. The lesser compensation than that offered in other hospital did not really
dwell in my mind. I was made a doctor to serve the needy not to make money out of my being a
doctor. Instead of focusing on salary, I thought of creating a working environment that might as
well attract other doctors to work in rural areas.
For several years I spent my time devoting my services to these people in the rural areas.
It is worth compensating when you meet your patient greeting you with boastful remark to
his/her relatives or friends that “Doc Boy help me with my ailment,” “Doc Boy, here is the boy I
am carrying when you assisted in my delivery,” “Doc, you were the one who operated me of my
ailment and you gave a second life.” Several remarks which could not be compensated by
money. I am happy on these.
As a physician, I was inspired to find ways to engage with more vulnerable populations.
To provide real care continuity for my patients, was something I wanted to do.
There are so many challenges involved with practicing in a rural setting. Nevertheless,
after several years of satisfying work and for some reason, which I intend to place it in my
faithful breast, I decided to go forth to the arms of Uncle Sam to further my learning about
medicine.
Different challenges faced me in this country but I was oblivious of the same for my
unresolved plan should be settled. I found several work here and I find it more rewarding than
satisfying though hard to compare for what I have in my country, the Philippines. I have planned
to be here and it was fulfilling to have it realized. I am happy to be here.
For all you know, my father’s footprints had been my other road map in fulfilling my
plan. I’ve been idolizing my father, an educator who rose from the ranks of elementary grade
school teacher to Head Teacher to Principal to District Supervisor before he was appointed as
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent to full-fledged Schools Division Superintendent prior
to his being elected as no. 1 Board Member in the entire Province of Sultan Kudarat. After
which, he was elected as Vice Governor of the Provincial Government of Sultan Kudarat.
I am my father’s namesake – Sinsuat Andang. He, being a worthy brother from Daguma
Mountain Range Lodge No. 244 in the Masonic District of Region 12-B (now Masonic District
Region 12 SOCSKSARGEN) in the Island of Mindanao of the Free and Accepted Masons of the
Philippines. He did not aspire for a seat in the East and was merely satisfied to be with brethren
the ranks.
When I first landed a job, I then sought the help of a brother to be among your equals in
the craft and my knock was heeded and several brethren beckoning me to travel from West to
East. I’d been in the oriental chair and the necessity to sit again in the coveted chair was due to
your account. You have chosen me again to sit as your Worshipful Master. How I love to be in
this chair but as our custom has once said, “from the ranks we came and to the ranks we shall
soon return. ” Nobody is permanent in this world and that is an acceptable fact.
For quite a time being a member of the craft, I’ve been devoting my life to further the
teachings of masonry. Masonry has groomed my life and been using the working tools as my
road map in walking and striding to make a journey all of my life. Now, this pandemic has
flushed a significant warning for us to think over how we could surpassed this occurrence.
In every bad side of the story, there is a good side blinking which we sometimes failed to
consider. Others have noticed it and it will be worthwhile to elucidate it for my brethren’s sake.
Prior to the onset of COVID-19, we constantly came home late and eat our dinner alone
as our family have already dine ahead of us. We never say our prayers before going to bed and
after waking up early in the morning. We seldom converse with our love ones because we are
busy with our jobs. We never care taking our vitamins and nor we take good care of our health.
Comes now our an unseen nemesis known as Covid-19 who makes our family came
closer with each other. We now came home early and take our meals together. We eat balanced
and healthy foods conscious of what is good to boast our immune system not to contract the
virus. We became religious on our duty towards God by praying and asking for resiliency and
steadfastness to overcome the challenges besetting us. We now communicate, not occasionally
with our love ones but regularly, inquiring from each other their health status. We came to
realize now whether or not COVID-19 is our nemesis or our catalyst of change for a better man.
Masonry has been a catalyst of change to make good men better. Relatively, covid-19 and
masonry are driving forces in making us better men.
COVID-19 has been around the corner and we seem to disregard it in 2019. The upsurge
of fatalities infected by this virus worldwide slaps us to face it seriously. This is the time our
health authorities been notifying and updating us of the serious threat brought about by this
pandemic. They now laid down health protocols to contain the spread of the disease. Social
distancing, wearing of face masks, hand washing, installation of footbath, misting of
disinfectants and so many more guidelines for us to be safe.
In reality, Covid-19 has been our most precious commodity in life as it provides us an
opportunity to rectify the mistakes we have in the past. God has forewarned us of what we lack
in our life. Covid-19 has been our eye opener that shows us the best way to plan our life.
Spending a little time to plan our lives is something all of us can do. The time and effort spent
will reward us many times over.
Whither goest thou, sons of Solomon? Let us grab this opportunity presented by this
pandemic.
