Tag: sports

The Ateneo and La Salle administrations’ failure to protest human rights violations

October 4, 2016October 4, 2016 Ilda 28 Comments

Administrators of two elite Philippine schools seem to prove what some have been suspecting all along – that the teachers in the country are teaching students what to think instead of how to think. Before the first encounter between the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) and De La Salle University (DLSU) in this year’s UAAP…

Education, Politics

The Brave Little Halfling: An Allegory About Hidilyn Diaz’s Victory

August 16, 2016 Grimwald 3 Comments

I would like to dedicate this story to Hidilyn Diaz. Sorry if the ending is somehow less than happy… There was once a halfling woman by the name of Hilda who dreamed of becoming a heroine to her people. She wanted to bring honor and glory to herself and her family and thought that the…

Fiction, Society

Ditch the old Aquino-vs-Marcos rhetoric: Time for the Philippines to move on!

August 13, 2015 Add 11 Comments

I was in one of the high rise buildings in Ortigas and looking out of the window, could see that the volume of vehicles was again too much for the four-lane two-way traffic road. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic both ways. At one intersection, a gray Toyota Camry from the two-lane heading north was slowly attempting…

Development, Government, Politics, Society

Filipino Culture and Its Loser Mentality

June 12, 2015June 12, 2015 Grimwald 18 Comments

Actually, I’m supposed to be working on the 9th chapter of Deep but again, I find myself writing another article, this time about the recent failure of our representatives in the SEA Games, particularly the diving competition. Heck, I even got an imitator in one of the commentaries. I don’t know if I should be flattered or…

Culture, Education, Society

Is being ‘unprepared’ to compete in an international sporting event a valid excuse to fail?

June 11, 2015 Kate Natividad 59 Comments

‘Not being prepared’ is not an excuse. What it is is a reason for failure, no more no less. And, yes, the failure of Filipino divers John Elmerson Fabriga and John David Pahoyo in this year’s Southeast Asian Games is a failure of ALL Filipinos. There is no other way to describe the fielding of…

Culture, Lifestyle, Society

Why I’m Not Excited About Manny Pacquiao’s Upcoming Fight

April 23, 2015 Grimwald 71 Comments

Ladies and gentlemen, Pacquiao’s up and coming fight with Mayweather is only just a few weeks away from now. Already, I hear people everywhere clamoring for a chance to be heard on how much they support Pacquiao and how much they hate Mayweather. Already, I notice that so many Filipinos are filling Facebook with encouragements…

Culture, Lifestyle, Media, Politics, Religion, Society, The South

Again: Why the Gilas Win may fail to uplift the Philippines

September 5, 2014September 5, 2014 ChinoF 52 Comments

In connection to the recent win by the Gilas team against Senegal, a while back, The University of the Philippines obtained what is considered a rare sports victory. What signified that it was rare and important was because they decided to put up a big bonfire that time. It also seemed other that people criticized…

Glitz and Glamour

Winning, heroism and the palamunin mentality in Philippine society

September 1, 2014September 1, 2014 benign0 12 Comments

Keen observers of the Filipino Condition had long ago collectively agreed to put a word to the concept: palamunin. The word encapsulates many aspects of Philippine culture encompassing its renowned mendicancy, lack of foresight, heritage of smallness, victim mentality, false hope, and anti-intellectual values. Indeed, the most disturbing aspect of Philippine society is the way…

Culture, Development, Society