pound-for-pound proud to be pinoy

Nothing makes me feel more patriotic than hearing the Philippine national anthem sung live before a Manny Pacquaio match.  I barely can remember who the singer is. It doesn’t matter even if it’s out of tune. This is the 1 minute every single person in my country is singing and feeling as one nation. And that 1 minute is great.

 

I spent Friday lunch talking about it with my colleagues at work. I told them Sunday is going to be like a holiday in the Philippines. Our best boxer is up against a boxing legend and every single household is going to watch it live. I told them if it weren’t a Sunday, it might as well be declared as a non-working day since every single one of us will be glued to our TVs or PCs and watching it unfold blow-by-blow however which way we can. No one can work at this point. They said it was unbelievable and I said I wasn’t exaggerating. Pacquiao is the only guy right now that can make the Philippines as one.

 

I remember a few years back I came home from Manila in a bus bound for Subic. I totally forgot that there was such an event scheduled that day. I remember having that perplexed look in my face having seen that Edsa was a virtual ghost town. Really, the cars and buses were few and far between. It was a smooth, fast ride. I heard my bus driver was rushing to catch the action. I slept and after 2 hours I woke up and the bus was at the terminal. Normally it would take me 4 hours to reach it, the match had cut that trip in half. Everyone was in their houses watching the match I supposed.

 

It’s almost like a tribal thing. We forget everything else at that point in time and for that 2 to 3 hours we just cheer for our bet. This time I’m in Sing, waiting for a live feed, constantly IMing with my brother who was watching it in Cavite, and my sister who was in Canada watching it with Pinoy friends at a pay per view channel.  I then called up my mom and dad who were watching it too live on TV. The mood was as expectant as it was festive.

 

I didn’t watch the delayed, stuttered version of it. I decided to wait until all of it is over. I get an SMS from my brother that we won. 15 mins later I get the same SMS from my mom with a short recounting of what had happened.

 

This morning, one day after, I got to watch the whole thing in one go. And I loved every moment of it. I cheered on wildly when Pacquiao delivered his blows to the legend. And every time he punched and connected, I felt happy and proud. That 7^th round was amazing because I felt that with every punch, each Pinoy fist was there too, pounding away. I almost cried when the fight ended after having the opponent accept defeat, and seeing Pacquiao kneel down to pray on one corner of the ring. And everyone was cheering and jubilant. I laughed out loud when the commentator said, “just imagine what it is to be in the Philippines right now, it must be like New Year’s Day”. Quite exactly what I felt even if I watched it alone and even much delayed.

 

I guess that’s distinctly Pinoy. I see our focus and determination in Pacquiao. He was the obvious underdog, short with shorter reach, but he fought like there was no tomorrow. He trained hard for it and kept his focus throughout the match. And I remember the many Filipinos like him who struggled and sacrificed, and came up on top in any ordeal. That is the true Pinoy spirit. Never give-up and always keep your eye on the goal.

 

I guess that’s why we said “Panalo ang Pilipino”, every single time he wins. For a couple of hours, we’re one nation, and nothing is in our heads but to support one of our own out there. Out there, taking up the challenge and doing us proud.

 

I guess I got more patriotic when I stayed here in Sing. I always marvel at how Pinoys accomplish so many things. I have liaised with many customers and big corporations doing my job. I always find and meet some Pinoy kababayan here and there. One big company’s big VP, who was scaring other people in the email, turned out to be a Pinay when we finally met in person and what a small world, she worked for the same company my brother is working for back home. Naturally, we maintained good relations with that client as the big VP was quite fond of me too. I meet engineers here and there also, handling important jobs and responsibilities. I always thought, “iba talaga ang Pinoy, magaling”. Last September there was a month long art festival called Biennale, and I was thrilled that the overall curator was a Pinay too, taga peyups pa. I just saw it on the pamphlet when I went to see some of the exhibits and installations. Damn, it just makes me feel proud. Of course in January, I will go with the throngs of Pinoys going out to watch and support Lea Salonga in the Cinderella broadway play to be staged in the Esplanade. So looking forward to be front row to that.  Today is a holiday in Sing, which explains why I am lurking about in multiply and just blogging away. Tomorrow when I go back to work, I am sure my colleagues won’t hear the last of my Pacman stories.

 

Panalo talaga ang Pilipino eh.

 

Monday, December 08, 2008
4:05:12 PM