Champions

Last Sunday, I didn't just watch a boxing match. I witnessed a transformation. Two brutally skilled boxers, by virtue of their sublime dedication to professional brutality, became champions.

What does it mean to be a champion? Does it mean, simply, to win? Perhaps. And yet, even a slight perusal of recorded sporting history would yield the following observation: many of the champions whose greatness has stood the test of time did not possess sporting records untarnished by defeat. But they all possessed sporting records where their defeats were untarnished by surrender.

Boxing pundit Saad Farooqi wrote very movingly about what characterized the finest boxing champions that the modern world has been privileged to witness:

When one says Ali is the greatest fighter (regardless of whether one agrees or not) of all time we aren’t thinking of young Cassius Clay hammering Liston into submission. We aren’t thinking of the dance master blitzing his opponents from countless angles and directions. To tell the truth, we think Ali/Frazier or Ali/Foreman. We think of a heavier, slower aging boxer his skills no longer glossed with youth and speed. The Ali we call "The Greatest" is the boxer who stepped in the ring against an opponent no one gave him a chance to win and then winning it. That was what made him the greatest: courage. It was him proving to boxing pundits that you can never measure human spirit or guess what it is capable of...

And that’s what boxing is all about: courage and character. Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao showed that throughout their fight. It’s not skill or power or technique that defines a boxer as much as it does his courage to do what most men and women won’t even dream about.

It is easier to understand this from the perspective of the valiant Cotto. He had every reason in the world to give up. He didn't. That took courage.

It is harder to understand this from the perspective of the victor. Manny Pacquiao won, and in a very convincing fashion. But that's not why he is, ultimately, a winner. Anyone can win due to an overwhelming display of talent, skill, and passion. But very few people win with a grace that ennobles both the victor and the vanquished. After the fight, Manny refused to crow about his victory.

“I always tell myself that I am just an ordinary fighter, but I have to beat the best fighters and sometimes I can,” he said.

Sometimes, those who believe that they are just ordinary people who, by virtue of their skill, passion and determination end up with the wonderful opportunity to compete at the highest level, end up as winners. But always, they end up as champions.

Photo Credits:

Picture of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto comes courtesy of GMA News.

Sometimes When We Touch

By now, I suppose everyone has seen the video of Manny Pacquiao serenading a worldwide audience with his interpretation of Sing-Along-Kot staple, Sometimes When we Touch. Just in case you haven't, please click on the embedded video below.



Many Filipinos of my acquaintance are quick to voice their reactions to Manny's performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Most negative reactions range from "Don't give up your day job" to "He's an embarrassment to the Filipino people." It is to those who belong in the latter extreme that I address this blog entry.

Conrado de Quiros once observed that "I’ve seen athletes turn from ferocious to meek when interviewed after stunning victories, finding the task of organizing their thoughts or expressing themselves in another language far more daunting than the challenge they had just faced. Pacquiao was not one of them. He was as fearless facing his interviewer as he was facing Ricky Hatton."

Manny's boundless confidence in himself led de Quiros to postulate that perhaps it is this hard earned self-assurance, this certainty in both his talent and his self-worth, that is Manny Pacquiao's biggest strength. To jaded eyes, it seems that majority of social structures in the Philippines are designed to reinforce a sense of inferiority, or at the very least, a limited and limiting understanding of "one's place" in life. Manny, like most world-class Filipino talents, refuses to see himself in those terms. As, de Quiros once again pointed out, "Though his answers were humble, his demeanor was not. He was unfazed by the crowd, he was unfazed by the cameras, he was unfazed by his English. They were merely of the order of facing another foe, not unlike the one in the ring, and vanquishing them."

Perhaps we should be less concerned about Manny's perceived inability to do justice to a sentimental old love song. Instead, maybe we should consider that we have the privilege of witnessing a world-class Filipino talent, by proving that he can fail at something, rectify an injustice deeper and more insidious than annihilating the opus penned by Dan Hill: that our understanding of ourselves as a people, and our supposed self-worth, is determined by how others perceive us.

Once again, Manny has done us proud. Even in supposed failure, he remains, unreservedly, Manny Pacquiao. Sometimes, we should be touched.

Liberated and Libera

While the recently concluded holidays may sometimes be a source of stress for some families, happily, this was not the case with mine. My boys and I went trick or treating next door at their preschool, and a gauntlet of sorts was passed when Lucia arrived in Manuel's old pumpkin costume, which was originally worn by their elder cousin Miguel. Pictures may be seen here.

Manuel, on the other hand, may be seen below. If there ever was a picture that fully captured how a pagan rite of passage has metamorphosed, thankfully, through the years into an innocuous and joyful celebration of youthful exuberance, it would be this picture. Janis Joplin might have sung "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose," but in Manuel's case, freedom is just another word for candy around the corner. The boy has a sweet tooth that puts his father's to shame, and I fear that this year's Halloween celebration finally set that monster free.


A couple of days later, Dr. Antonio Torralba and I, with the able help of a sprightly Roberto F. de Ocampo, took the angel voices behind Libera to a brisk, but entertaining tour of Old Manila. Despite their obvious fatigue after a successful concert in Cebu, the young gentlemen of Libera were more than up to the task of distilling the cultural and historical marvel that is Old Manila in two hours, one proud set of ancient walls (Baluarte de San Diego), one venerable old Cathedral (Manila Cathedral), and one strategically located handicrafts shop (Manansan). The ageless, yet age-appropriate raconteur in me believes that yours truly played a big role in making their last memories of the Philippines both an educational and pleasurable one.


Ah, if only all my late Octobers and early Novembers were quite this satisfying! Pictures of the Libera tour may be seen here. Enjoy!

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Work

One of the most damaging misconceptions we may form due to the hectic pace of modern living is that everything we do must be extraordinary. There is much to be said about the truly singular, as many of us have experienced over the past month: our countrymen's outpouring of generosity and goodwill to those in need will forever be etched in my mind as proof positive that the Filipino is worth dying for.

However, strictly speaking, charity is not simply about making grand gestures in the spirit of sincere sentiment. As one gleans from reading Caritas in veritate, charity bereft of truth may degenerate to mere sentimentality. And while sentimental love songs, in my experience, may soothe away a lonely night, only constant experiences of ordinary love can kiss away a lifetime spent alone.

Mother Theresa once said, "Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired."

What we need is to get some dirt under our fingernails and start the long, at times lonely, but eventually rewarding task of rebuilding. There is much to be said as well about the sanctifying anonymity of work, as many of us have experienced over the past month: our countrymen's willingness, regardless of social status or educational attainment, to volunteer in relief centers and relief missions that attended to those in need will forever be etched in my mind as proof positive that the Filipino is worth living for.

Megatent Relief Center is proud to have participated in a medical mission in Pinagbuhatan, Pasig. I would list all the people who were instrumental in making the medical mission a success, but I don't have the bandwidth. The mission was conducted in cooperation with Pasig City Hall and generous sponsors whose generosity is exceeded only by their desire to remain anonymous. Thanks to these generous souls, 7,000 people received medical attention and were given access to proper medication. More importantly, 7,000 souls received the reassurance that perfectly ordinary people, much like themselves, still cared.

We're still open, friends. More importantly, we're open to anyone who can suggest more sustainable, long-term activities to help our less fortunate countrymen start rebuilding their lives. And we promise, we won't get tired of helping those in need.

Credits:

Quote attributed to Mother Therese comes from goodreads.

Megatent Relief Center: Goes National!

When we speak of rehabilitation and recovery, the easiest needs that we can address are material. The two previous typhoons may have taken much from the little that our countrymen have, but somehow we realize that we haven't lost anything that can't be replaced. We look forward, some with grim resignation and some with the wide eyed optimism of youth, to reclaiming what has been taken from us. Our homes might be under water, but hope floats. And so we move on.

From Monday to Wednesday, 10 am to 12 MN, Megatent Relief Center is proud to host the relief efforts of National Bookstore. Please join us in Relief Operation: School Supplies Edition.

For the past couple of weeks, we kept on telling ourselves that we are a nation of heroes. Well hero, it's time to rise to the occasion.



See you at Megatent Relief Center!

Megatent Relief Center: Pangasinan, Here we Come!

Near the tail-end of the outreach efforts for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy last week, a young volunteer posed the question, "What do we do now?"

The short answer is, "We do what we can". As short answers rarely satisfy anyone, save for those who crave a loving union of souls sanctified by a mutual assent towards building a life together, allow me to elaborate.

"We do what we can, wherever we are." It doesn't have to end at a relief center. As I kept on repeating over and over again as the relief efforts for Ondoy came to an end, at the very heart of change is a change of heart. If your experience in helping the victims of Typhoon Ondoy have made you a more compassionate, caring, generous, joyful and loving individual, then that is a change worth building on. The bedrock of all institutional change is a simple change of heart. You change the world by first changing yourself.

Also, "We do what we can, wherever that may lead us." Goods may exit a relief center, but it takes good people to bring them to where they can bring relief. Our suffering countrymen deserve more than just a bag of relief goods. They need to know that someone cares. During more pleasurable occasions, Filipinos celebrate friendships, and they cement them with abundant smiles and copious amounts of beer. During times of crisis, Filipinos celebrate strangers, and the anonymity that bolsters the giver's nobility often gives way to abundant smiles and copious amounts of heartfelt tears.

Megatent Relief Center is going to Pangasinan this Friday. We have 5,000 bags of relief goods, a skeletal team of veteran volunteers, and little else. Don't think that we simply need more relief goods. Don't think that we simply need more volunteers. We need YOU! Let's do what we can. Wherever we are. Wherever that may lead us.



Please check Megatent Conquers Pangasinan and Baguio. We need YOU!

Photo Credits:

Pictures come courtesy of Tin Sanchez and Pong Ignacio of Ondoy Photos.

Above the Storm

In the end, it's not about the numbers.

It's about the generosity of strangers, or the nobility of anonymity.



It's about the flood of volunteers, who stood taller than the floodwaters we battled against.

It's about hope amidst despair.

It's about the desire to sift through the flotsam and jetsam of our cluttered lives and finding the kindness and compassion that all of us possess.



It's about heroes. And the most wonderful realization that, much like what Mark Gosingtian so beautifully rendered in his graphic art, "where I come from, everyone's a hero".


Photo Credits:

Pictures come courtesy of The Human Chain Project: Ondoy Photos, by Pong Ignacio, The Human Chain Photos by Gabby Santos, and Mark Gosingtian.