Why do people give the President unsolicited advises? This is not the first time that this happened. The minute the president assumed the presidency, a number of people focused on his smoking and called him to stop.
Why do we have to tell him to quit smoking? Please leave Pnoy alone!
Even with the best of intentions, I don’t think it’s proper that people tell him what to do with his smoking.
He alone can determine and decide when he wants to quit. And even he, would not be able to predict WHEN exactly that would happen.
My husband started smoking when he was 14 years old. I repeat, one four. When we met in college and became sweethearts, he made several promises to me whom he was so much in-love with (that time) that he would quit, out of his kilig love for me. Kumupas na yung love na yun, he still didn’t quit. Then my daughter came, he made the same promise to this little baby sleeping on the bed. He didn’t. She got sick a couple of times and the father swore to the heavens that he would quit in the name of his baby. He didn’t. When my daughter was 5, she scolded him everytime she caught him but ganun pa rin. He continued smoking. When my son was 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 he would inspect our kitchen cabinets daily to check if daddy is hiding cigarettes. My kids were watching and catching him all the time but that did not deter him from smoking. The only improvement was he stopped smoking inside our house and hid from Oyen and Nyke while he smoked.
He made several attempts to stop, the longest was 6 months. But the habit kicked him and not the other way around. The desire to stop, the awareness of its ill-effects, the embarrassment and irritation were all present. But stopping something that one has been doing for decades is not a walk in the park.
One Good Friday, 12 years ago, we just stayed home and didn’t go to Binangonan because I was still recovering from a major operation. Instead of going to the church, I watched the religious programs on tv. The priest suggested giving up something that you like or enjoy doing the most, for example, eating steak, prawns. I mentioned this to Edmund and from that day on, he stopped smoking. That was his sacrifice, giving up smoking which he liked the most. But that did not last beyond 6 months. He smoked again.
Exactly on his birthday two years ago, he tried again. He quit. It was hard. He missed smoking everytime he smells or drinks coffee. He wanted to smoke when’s stressed, worried, happy, excited, after meals, while chatting with friends, while playing golf, while walking, while standing, while seating, while working. He couldn’t think, his fingers were looking for something to hold, lahat na. All the excuses.
I am very proud of my husband. He was able to finally do it. Although there are times that he still feels the impulse like when we are traveling to the US. Kasi dati pag maginaw he would go out to the garage and smoked. When he is drinking coffee like tonight, he mentioned something about terno ang smoking sa kape at sa ginaw. but due to health concerns, there’s no turning back. Today, he could no longer stand the smell of cigarette smoke. Dati panay ang inhale nya.
That was two years and three months ago.
Pnoy will quit smoking, in due time, in his time. Please don’t force him because he wouldn’t do it all because of you.
So well-meaning doctors, lung cancer specialists, motherly-women who want to take the place of Pres. Cory Aquino, pls, stop, you are annoying him.
