Within the space of less than two weeks, we Filipinos have found ourselves caught between a starkly unimaginable polarity of emotions.
On the one hand, the recent visit of typhoon Frank thrashed and pummeled whole countrysides, leading to large-scale loss of life and property. Most horrible of all, it was the direct cause of the sinking of what in historical record was the largest inter-island seafaring vessel operating for Filipino passengers, the M/V Princess of the Stars. This tragedy of overwhelming proportions rang a death toll running into the hundreds.
On the other hand, the exemplary Pinoy athlete Manny Pacquiao has just captured yet another world championship title in boxing, marking out a milestone in the history of the sport in that he now stands as the first Asian to hold four championship belts in four different weight divisions. This is no small feat, and the achievement has already reaped the huge attention, accolade, and celebration it deserves from boxing critics and fans all around the world. It need not be explained how Manny Pacquiao has once again ignited passion and pride among all Pinoys because of this, so much so that everybody could feel the palpable jubilation in the streets. Go, Manny, go!
In less than two weeks, Pinoys were besieged by a turbulent wave of grieving and desparation, only to later on find ourselves lifted upward by a surge of victory. One can easily be reminded of the unexpected twists and turns of a hair-raising roller coaster ride. Or the swinging of a pendulum, with horror at one end of the amplitude, and rejoicing at the other.
I cannot help but join the chorus of voices extolling the thunderous victory of one of my fellow countrymen in a sport that has captured and inflamed the sentiments of all Pinoys like me. The particular instance in which he struck the final blow on his opponent seemed to be etched in time--one single tick of the clock when all Filipinos saw one of their own finally taking down an Enemy, an Adversary which encapsulated in itself all the terror and malady of the previous days. When Pacquiao's opponent fell like a ton of bricks on the canvass, a huge release of breath could almost be heard all throughout the country. We have just been through terrible tragedy, yes, but one single punch has proclaimed that we have emerged through it victorious, too.
Pinoys have always been the resilient lot. We have been through all sorts of desperate times and unimaginable loss, and yet even after the worst of calamities we seem to be able to whittle off the last of its vestiges much like dusting ourselves off after a slight stumble. It may take less than two weeks--in this case, it took only one final punch.
Being a Pinoy myself, I see this as a desperate yearning for good news--any good news--that could reassure the heart in the middle of a multitude of crises afflicting each Pinoy. The bad news is depressingly widespread enough--continually rising cost of living brought about by record levels of inflation, hunger and military conflict in the south of the country, flagrant corruption in high places in government, and most recently a calamitous typhoon, on top of everything. A Manny Pacquiao victory still remains to be the one good thing we would readily bandy about with proud smiles to all people around the world. We Pinoys know deep inside ourselves that every other race seems to look down on us, but, hey, we have a world champion fourfold! Who can top that?
Still, in spite of the undeniable praiseworthiness of us Pinoys to vent all sorts of merrymaking and cheers to what Pacquiao has carved out for himself as well as for all of us, it still makes sense to keep our sense of proportion in order. His victory, however towering and larger-than-life it might have been, is in its deepest essence that of only one man. A whole multitude of Pinoys, in fact, face collective challenges which are themselves also towering and larger-than-life, and which also cry for each one of us to prevail over. There has always been this danger that we Pinoys would hang on to Pacquiao's stellar achievement to such an overbearing degree that its memory would overshadow the ever-present need for every one of us to be a warrior ourselves against our collective problems. Pacquiao's job was to fight his Mexican opponent, and he did it rather exceedingly well. Now it's our turn to face our own adversaries. And the very first we would have to tangle with is ourselves--after all, we have a whole country to rehabilitate, what with the typhoon having hit us, and our desperate population still among the poorest in the world, among other things. Plenty of changes need to be started. There are obligations to be performed scrupulously. Pacquiao's finishing blow should not be an end in itself. It should serve as a new beginning, an inspiration for every Pinoy to get up and accomplish what should get done.
I would prefer that the government lead the way. Things like this should never have to be said, and yet it seems that in performance and example, the government could be likened to a poorly-trained and mediocre boxer, always on the losing end of a fight. How I wish our government could be more of Pacquiao's caliber, an excellent fighter who could wage war against social ills and injustices, a fighter dedicating its effort to all Pinoys. Sadly enough, the typical Pinoy is given this responsibility and burden to shoulder, and could expect no amount of help from the bureaucracy. Only time would tell whether it could reform itself.
Still, I nurture a hope that Pinoys finally come to their senses and see the true meaning of Pacquiao's daring efforts to overcome each and every one of his opponents. I have this hope that Pinoys inspire each other and struggle to become world-class warriors in whatever they are involved with, whether you are in government, in another country, or staying here at home. Between the sinking of a ship and the raising of all our victorious fists, I hope we could collect ourselves and make the pendulum swing to the side better for all of us, all the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment