"Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!"


At the school clinic today, I had a 15 year old male patient who came in complaining of colds. He was a well groomed teenager but I got irritated when he told me his complaint. He was very rude and disrespectful. So as I was taking his history, I made it a point to say "po" and be very respectful of him everytime I would say something or ask him a question. He must've noticed it because he started saying "po" afterwards.

I have been going there for 7 months already but this is the first time I had encountered such rudeness. I am not saying that he should always say "po" in every sentence or since I am a doctor, he should worship the grounds I walk on. It shouldn't even matter if the other person is your maid, the school janitor or the doctor. We should all respect the people we come in contact with whether older/younger than us or more/less educated than us. Respect doesn't even mean saying "po" or "opo" (although it is one Filipino trait that I am especially proud of) all the time. Respect could mean using the correct tone of voice when speaking or establishing eye contact when talking to a person.

Am I being old fashioned? I don't think so.