Pride, Passion

Thursday was a day a lot of people were waiting for. After a one year absence from the UAAP, the LaSalle Green Archers faced their bitter rivals of old, the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Back after serving a one-year suspension for fielding ineligible players, the Araneta Coliseum was once again a turbulent and roaring sea of blue and green. Passionate members of their respective student population and even the rabid alumni of each university were once again in full force, filling the Big Dome to the rafters. These were the lucky ones (or the well-connected ones) to have tickets for the big game. The rest were content to watch it live on TV sets all over the country. So for more than two hours, a big part of the city practically grinds to a halt.

What has not been said about this rivalry, that extends not only on the basketball court but also in other sports, at work, in government, in corporations and what have you. A rivalry that started even before the outbreak of hostilities of the Second World War. A rivalry that has most likely evolved into the very genes of its students, even the very young ones! And since basketball is the national pastime of the Philippines, it is but natural for this rivalry to reach a fever pitch during the UAAP. In the 2002 UAAP championship series between these two teams, the Big Dome was filled with the metro’s who’s who. From politicians to celebrities to captains of industry and commerce to well-known professionals. It was said that if the Big Dome’s ceiling had crashed that night, the Philippine economy would have been crippled for decades! So passionate are both teams that they give their all, whether in the run for the championship or not, making every Ateneo-LaSalle game an instant classic. The players themselves are something to admire, considering all that is at stake is school pride, and not fame nor fortune. The only thing that matters is playing for the school. Passionately playing for pride.

And so, if we can be passionate and full of pride for our alma maters, why can’t we be passionate and proud as Filipinos? I look back at the speech of Chief Justice Reynato Puno when he said that we can no longer be proud to be Filipinos because of the extrajudicial killings, the election anomalies, the controversies and corruption in government, even our behavior overseas. Some countries look down on Filipinos, seeing everyone as domestic helpers only. Marlon Brando once called us “the wily Filipino.” We have countrymen in the Middle East that have been sentenced to death because of their crimes. We have an ex-policeman found guilty of espionage in the US, therefore sentenced to a prison term. Indeed, how can we be proud?

A bright spot in all this talk of pride would be when Manny Pacquiao fights. The whole nation rallies behind him in full support. Even crime goes down when he slugs it out with opponents! Petty differences are put aside even for just 12 rounds of action. And so again I ask, why can’t the nation be like this in other matters? Does it have to take a sports event to unite the country and to bring back pride in being a Filipino? It just might have to be. Which is why we see politicians around the ring when the Pacman brings another fighter down to bite the dust. Yeah right.

If only political parties were like an Ateneo and LaSalle basketball team, wherein they field their best to accomplish the job, to accomplish victory. Where only the country’s pride and honor are at stake, and not fame or fortune. Where doing your best, no matter what, is paramount to bringing joy, relief to your country. Can a politician be like that? Can a political party accomplish that? That would be the day when we see the whole nation at a standstill because their president is talking. That would be the day when we see people going on their own, to see a political party in action, and cheering them on like there was no tomorrow. That would be the day, when we sing the national anthem with the same proud intensity as these two universities sing their battle songs.

It is said that when Ateneans and LaSallians set a goal together, it is impossible for it not to be attained. Hence the success of other endeavors aside from basketball. How wonderful for the country if our political parties can make the same claim. That if only they unite for the betterment of the country, then it really is impossible for any goal not to be attained. The UAAP league is strong because of the fabled rivalry of these two teams. But at the end of the game, the ribbing and the taunting end as well. We see alumni from both schools in the same companies, working together, playing together. And still, it’s the fabled rivalry that pushes these alumni to do their best, thus benefiting the companies that they work for. Shouldn’t a country be like that as well? If only everyone had pride and passion for the country in the first place, especially those tasked to run it.

By the way, congratulations to the Blue Eagles! It’s been a while.