the boy who shouted the king is nude

Are you a Manny Pacquiao fan? Are you one of those who yell proud of being Filipino because Ronnie Alcano won the 2006 World Pool Championship, or that one of the members of Pussycat Dolls is a filipina? Are you one of those who say that the filipino people excels in too many field just because George “Dubya” Bush’s chef is a filipina, or because Ap’l d Ap of Black Eyed Peace is a filipino who once lived in Olonggapo? If you are, then you must one heck of a proud of your roots.

I was one of those who waited so long for Pacquiao Morales’ fight and got shortchanged when Pacquiao ended it convincingly. Sure seeing him win is not so bad at all, neither seeing filipinos excelling in whatever field they are in. It is great to once have a filipino in Linking Park, the Pussycat Dolls, Black Eyed Peace, and the Laker Girls, that only goes to show that the filipino people really are talented.

But what if Manny Pacquiao lost his third match with Erik Morales? What if it was he who knocked down in the third round of their rubber fight? Would you have been proud just the same? It is terribly absurd that we get our pride as a nation only when Pacquiao steps in the ring and win, when some Fil-American hits it big in Holywood. Never had we become proud to become filipinos because our culture is so unique and rich, never had we become proud because ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. I have never heard a single Filipino of today say that he is proud of everything that happens in our country, I could even not say the same. We always forget what is essential: cooperation among us regardless of our ideologies and political leanings; food, clothes, shelter, and education for all; compassion and understanding for the masses; culture and arts for the Malayan people, and; truth and service for the governed. And yet, thanks to Manny, Ap’l, and the rest of the cast, we can say that we are proud of being Filipinos; because maybe superficial is what we really are.