Honor and Excellence (Prof. Monsod's last lecture to her class)

I have always greatly respected Prof. Solita Monsod. This lecture of hers is a wake-up call to every Filipino, not just UP-Diliman students.

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On Being Filipino in the Aftermath of the Quirino Grandstand Hostage Taking and the "Major Major" Miss Universe 2010 Blooper

Daniel Wagner's The Philippine Bus and Miss Universe must be one of the most linked and most forwarded articles in the Filipino online community today. The article talks about last week's tragic Quirino Grandstand hostage taking that ended in a bloodbath and beauty queen Maria Venus Raj blowing her chance at becoming Miss Universe 2010.

At first I was reluctant to read the article. The last thing I want right now is another Filipino bashing online. It is already difficult to deal with the horror, anger and dismay that the two events mentioned above elicit. The Philippines rarely hits the international headlines, but when it does, it is usually about some screw-up. And wow, what a screw-up we have this time. It is definitely nothing to be proud of for us Filipinos.

But that is just the case, isn't it? We Filipinos don't have a lot to be proud of. Or at least we as a race have probably forgotten how it is to live with pride. That is why we lap up every single victory that comes our way, no matter how indirectly – from Lea Salonga bagging a Tony and an Olivier Award for her Miss Saigon performance; to Manny Pacquiao's winning punches in the boxing ring; to the likes of Gloria Diaz, Margarita Moran, Miriam Quiambao, Precious Lara Quigaman – and yes, even Venus Raj – winning or coming close to winning the beauty queen crowns they vied for.

When something bad happens instead, we become defensive or passive-aggressive. Or we turn to fatalism and make numerous excuses. Ganoon talaga, eh; walang magagawa. Mr. Wagner's article hit the matter right in the head.

One passage in Mr. Wagner's article struck me the most:

"When I lived in the Philippines from 2003 to 2007, I was asked, what is the difference between the Philippines and Indonesia? My answer was, 'In Indonesia, they have hope.' I came to the conclusion that in spite of all the things the Philippines has going for, its people didn't demand enough of themselves, or of their government. Political apathy and a willingness to accept a low common denominator of performance have taken their toll on the psyche of the Philippine people."

He could not have said it any better. In this country, it is hard to hope when nothing seems to change. What we have is a heritage of mental poverty, oppression and apathy, among other things.

Nevertheless, there is no reason for us to wallow in self-pity or self-effacement. It only proves to the world that we have no pride in ourselves. There is also no reason for us to hate our being Filipino. That would be preposterous; we might as well peel off our own skin and burn it. How can anyone hate their own skin?

If there is any lesson to be learned in the Quirino Grandstand hostage taking, it is that we have to change as a people. We have to stop taking things for granted. As for Venus Raj, she is actually setting an example for all of us despite her "major, major" blooper. She is not letting that mistake bring her down; instead, she is moving forward. And so should we.

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RIP, Mrs. Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino

I was too young to remember exactly what happened during the 1986 EDSA Revolution, but I do know that what happened was indeed something profound. And now that the symbol of that profound moment has passed away this morning, I do sense that a chapter of our history as a people has come to a close.



Thank you, Mrs. Aquino, for the sacrifice you have given for our country. I may not have agreed with everything you said and did in the last few years, but I do respect and admire you for who and what you are. You made me proud to be a woman and a Filipino, and even apathetic fools like me do feel a sense of loss with your passing. The Philippines just lost one of its last moral leaders and there is no one out there yet who is as worthy of our belief as you were.

May you rest in peace.

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RIP Francis Magalona

I'm not really a fan of rap music or hiphop but, like most Filipinos of my generation, I am a fan of Francis Magalona. He was such a big thing when I was in high school; performing his breakthrough song "Mga Kababayan" was even one of our music assignments back then.

People die all the time, but when an icon of your youth passes away, you just can't help but be affected. You will mourn in your own way.

Found these in YouTube. A video of him singing Kaleidoscope with Parokya ni Edgar and, of course, Mga Kababayan.

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I Am A Big Fan of Rafael Nadal...

...but I could not bring myself to celebrate fully his victory over Roger Federer in the Australian Open Men's Finals this year. It is indeed a victory, as Nadal is reportedly the first Spaniard ever to win the Aussie Open title. Moreover, all the odds were against him. His body is still physically aching from that five-hour semi-finals match with Fernando Verdasco, from which he only had a day to recover compared to Federer's two days.

However, I have never seen Federer break down like that. He was so tearful he could barely deliver his speech at the awarding ceremony. He was openly crying. Federer wanted this title, and he would want every Grand Slam title that would come his way from now, because he only needs one more to be able to match Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slam record. But as long as Rafael Nadal is there to stand in his way, Federer will have a very hard time to grab that 14th. Rafael Nadal, who has defeated Federer in the French Open and Wimbledon last year, is deeply implanted in Federer's head. it will take a lot of work for Federer to get that psychological advantage that Nadal has over him out of his system.

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And still, Nadal deserved to win this year's Australian Open. He is indeed a champion, and I see him dominating the world of men's tennis for quite a while. Or at least men's tennis wouldn't be so boring, just as it had become for me when Andre Agassi retired.

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