A true gem from the Philippines

I know our family was not alone in staying up until midnight last week for two nights to watch our only Philippine bet in the Sochi Winter Olympics, Michael Christian Martinez. We all anxiously watched as our Philippine figure ice skater make history during his short program performance and make his way into the free skate program with some of the most elite skating talents in the world.

It was indeed a proud moment for not just Martinez, but for the nation as well. In fact, ever since he made his Olympic debut marching proudly in the parade with our flag held high, he held everyone’s heart in his hands, proving that nothing is impossible with determination and dedication, even despite overwhelming odds.

Indeed, Martinez’s story has been all over the news. Some versions claim he had little to no support, but that his family had to make all the sacrifices to get him to his dream, while other more researched pieces did include that he did indeed have the support of government sporting agencies as well as private sector support from companies like SM, Smart Telecommunications, and the MVP group and Manny Pangilinan himself, who has always been known to be a big supporter of athletics.

To be sure, Michael’s road to the Olympics could not have been an easy one. It’s not just finances that would have been a problem for the young ice skater from the tropics. Like any athlete from any part of the world, just to qualify for sports’ greatest arena is a long and difficult process not without its ups and downs. Athletes know that they have to sacrifice much to get a coveted spot in the Olympics and they don’t only have to be the best, they have to compete against the best if they want the honor of representing their country on the world’s biggest stage.

That’s why, despite all the online arguing about who should have given what, and what the government should or should not have done, we were all in agreement that Martinez was already a champion no matter what. The young athlete had, after all, made it to the Olympics despite all the odds and had given the country one more thing to be proud of. The youngest competitor in the Men’s Figure Skating competition and one from a country with no ice or winter to boot.

I’ve actually heard many people compare Michael to the Jamaican bobsled team that qualified for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary also despite overwhelming odds. They proved then that despite having to come in from behind, they could compete at the highest level and that nothing was impossible. I think Martinez has done that once again. A good reminder to the world, that no matter where you come from, if you have a dream and you work hard to achieve it, you can.

I know I was one of the millions of Filipinos who watched Martinez take to the ice last week for his short program with nervous anticipation. Despite knowing that he had already made history regardless of the outcome of his short program, we all wanted him to get the chance to make it to the free skate. And make it he did. Despite missing a step in the short program, he performed and skated beautifully and who could begrudge him his happy bows at the end? His excitement was palpable and when he held up the jacket emblazoned with the word Philippines on it as he awaited his score, the country proudly cheered for him.

Personally, I think it is amazing what Martinez has accomplished. Despite not placing in the finals, the fact that he made it and has turned so many heads while doing so proves that he is a champion and has made yet another strong case for a full-fledged government sporting program in the country. Perhaps it won’t be long before we have our own Department of Sports with their budget to allow athletes like Martinez the opportunity to pursue their dreams on an international level.

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On another less inspiring note, we have also been reading much about Vice President Binay’s drive to raise enough blood money to spare Joselito Zapanta from the death sentence in Saudi Arabia where he has remained on death row for the killing of his Sudanese landlord over a rental dispute in 2009.

Now I have to admit, it is heartening to see the government doing everything they can to protect our hardworking OFWs abroad. it seems a bit strange to me that they would put so much of their time, energy, and resources into raising as much funds as possible — in this case SR4 million — to be able to save Zapanta from the death penalty. While it is incredibly unfortunate that he is in the situation that he is currently in, one can’t help but think that he is there because of his own actions. No matter how you slice it, he did kill a man and he is being punished for it.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think we should abandon him or any of our OFWs to grisly fates in foreign lands, but we also can’t “bail” them out with money that could go to other things because we feel it will help us “save face” on an international level. Working abroad is tough to begin with, we should invest in training programs to help our potential OFWs learn more about the countries they are going to be working in – especially their laws and customs. This will not only help them settle in, but will also help them stay out of trouble in the future. This is especially true for OFWs headed for the Middle East and China where they are notoriously strict and rigid about following rules.

Indeed, I believe I already mentioned in a previous column, I don’t think we should be investing so much of our money and efforts to get our countrymen into working positions abroad to begin with. Not only are we losing a lot of our talent to other countries but we are also putting them in situations that could potentially be dangerous. We have heard of many cases of drug trafficking wherein the poor traffickers had no idea what they were doing but were tricked into bringing the drugs into the country. In the end, they were the ones who had to pay the ultimate price despite having no clue what they were doing.

The international market is hard and while it can be rewarding, it is also fraught with danger as well. If we can’t employ our people in our own country then the least we can do is train them properly and prepare them for what they might face in other countries. This way, they are less naïve and a little more knowledgeable, making it harder for those in foreign lands to take advantage of them.

Perhaps if we can do this, we won’t need to raise “blood money” and instead we can allocate those funds into more positive directions.