Ang pinakamagagandang babae sa balat ng lupa ngayong taon

Dahil sa overhype na nalilikha sa mga constestant ng Pilipinas tuwing sasapit ang Miss Universe pageant, pinagtyagaan kong manood ng live broadcast nito kesa naman manood ako ng labanan ng mga maskuladong nagpapanggap na kalalakihan na karamihan ay naka spandex at felix bakat ang drama - ang Summerslam wrestling.  Mas gusto ko ang ligaya na inihahatid ng mga bakat ng mga swimsuit ng mga constestants sa Miss Universe, kahit alam kong walang binatbat taun-taon ang mga representante ng Pilipinas.


Hindi ko nakasanayan na maniwala sa mga bayarang kolumnista na buong pugay nagbabalita sa mga pahayagan ang malaking tsansa ng ating kinatawan sa tuwing darating ang oras ng patimpalak.  Taon-taon malaki ang pag-asa ng ating kinatawan, taon-taon din hindi naman nakakalusot sa semi-finals.  KANINA, MUNTIK NANG MAKAPASOK SA TOP 15 ANG ATING PAMBATO.  AKALAIN MO UNANG TINAWAG NA PUMASOK SA TOP 15 ANG MISS PUERTO RICO.  MUNTIK NA TAYO DAHIL KATABI LANG NATIN ANG MISS PUERTO RICO SA ALPHABETICAL LISTING NG MGA KALAHOK.


Parehas ng basketbol ang problema natin sa Miss Universe.  Kulang sa height at achievements ang ipinapadala natin.  Hindi naman natin pwedeng sabihin na kung sa utak lang eh may panlaban tayo.  Mga ineng at totoy, hindi naman mga bobo ang constestants ng ibang bansa.  Napapansin ko na halos lahat ng mga pumapasok sa top 15 eh mga achievers na, may mga graduate na sa kolehiyo at nagpapraktis ng kaninang propesyon, mga mga nag aaral pa, at meron ding kilala na sa mundo ng modeling. Wag nating ikumpara ang pagkapanalo ni Gloria Diaz sa bawat taon na gaganapin ang Miss Universe pageant.  Nanalo si Bb. Gloria Diaz hindi dahil sa talino kundi dahil maayos ang kanyang pagkakasagot.  Para sa sakin, insulto ang sabihin nanalo ka sa Miss Universe dahil sa talino mo.  Una, hindi naman quiz bee ang Miss Universe pageant, at ikalawa, pinalalabas nitong mga bobo ang mga kalaban mo, na no bearing contest ang magiging resulta.  Deserving manalo si Bb. Gloria Diaz dahil deserving ang kanyang isinagot!


Hindi naman masama mangarap.  Baka sa hinaharap eh manalo na ulit tayo at tanghaling pinakamagandang babae sa buong mundo ang ating kababayang Pilipina.  Siguro kapag natuto na tayong tumingin sa kakayahan at hindi sa hitsura.  Siguro kapag kahit hindi marunong mag English basta may kakayanan naman eh ikukuha na lang ng interpreter.  Siguro sa tamang pagkakataon.  Siguro tamang pagkakaintindi ng tanong(high tide or low tide???).  At siguro, sa tamang pagsagot.

sabi nga ni Atoy Co, the ball is AROUND...

I congratulate Iran for winning the FIBA-Asia Championship.  Not only they defeated China in basketball, it looked like they demolished the Chinese Team.  China looked like a junior team playing a senior team in collegiate basketball.  

A worthy lesson for this year’s edition of FIBA-Asia championships: NBA experience does not guarantee a formidable team in world basketball, unless your national teammate is Lebron James and Kobe Bryant.  Even Kobe and Lebron did have a hard time in Beijing Olympics, and so have Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian last Sunday.  The Iranians took the Chinese team back to school.  Iran’s offense was fluid, their shooting was remarkable, and I even saw 7 footer Ehdadi penetrating for a layup.


Another lesson that team Pilipinas should learn from their 8th place finish in Tianjin is the familiarization to international rules.  The PBA backed team will never ever win in international competitions unless FIBA rules are used in the PBA.  My suggestion is either the PBA use FIBA rules or do not send PBA players to FIBA competitions at all.  Talent wise they are good, but they will always lose.  I am not disparaging them, they all deserve praises for their gallant effort, but their strategy is questionable.  Three months of experience will never win against three years of practice.  We saw that in Iran.  Their moves we very much basic and yet China was not able to stop them.


Yeng Guiao is a good coach but he is not the right man for the job.  FOR SOMEONE WHO INDIRECTLY CONSPIRED WITH A WIFE OF A GAMBLING LORD TO CHEAT A PRIEST IN A LOCAL ELECTION, HE DOES NOT HAVE THE CREDIBILITY TO REPRESENT THIS COUNTRY AS A NATIONAL COACH.  Again, delicadeza should come to mind when we represent the country in international competitions.  Imagine if the opponent lost the game by 2 points and learned that the other coach has a history of cheating, directly or indirectly.  Credibility is always at stake when the pride of the country is at stake.  I would rather lose by 50 points rather than winning dubiously by 2 points.


When in Rome, do what the Romans do.  The world is improving in international basketball.  Why?  They follow the mandate of FIBA.  They use FIBA rules.  They recruit naturalized players.  They TRAIN, years - not months.  Their National Team was composed 3 years ago, not 3 months ago.  They practice all year round, inside and outside the country.  They have mastered the basic skills.  They are NOT relying on 3 point shots alone.  They are doing what our basketball team has been ignoring for decades.  Stick to basics, and not for showmanship.  Everybody has talent, some are more talented than others, but basketball is still a five man game.  What you do in the court should depend on what your teammates can do, unless if you are Michael Jordan resurrected.  We can win again in Asia if we put the right attitude, and right attitude means following directions – in this case – FIBA rules.  And who knows, we might just get a naturalized player or two for mandatory reasons and not by necessity.


You lose some, you win some.  Losing is ugly, it diminishes confidence.  When you are not confident enough, your body will be hounded by the tension of losing, even if you have all the talent to succeed.  


In basketball, the ball is round.  But you will never lose your confidence to win if you know how the ball will roll…

Thoughts on this National Week of Mourning

1.    NOW I BELIEVE IN THE CORY MAGIC.  It’s not that I am a skeptic, but I supported the other side of the fence, so to speak.  I AM a Marcos supporter to the core.  But this week was probably the first time I admit EDSA 1986 was not a fluke.  I have always believed what happened in EDSA was not because of the people, but because of the moves of those who supported both camps.  If Ramos, Enrile, and Honasan had not jumped over to the other side, there wouldn’t be any historical significance of what happened then.  And when thousands of people lined up along the road for their final salute to Cory, I had also finally accepted that she was significantly important historically.  Some of us had learned a lot of lesson during her presidency.  Some took the opportunity for political gains, some for personal. 

2.    THE FILIPINOS CAN UNITE.  It took one dead beloved leader for the entire nation to be united.  La Salle and Ateneo, Marcoses and Aquinos, Administrations and Oppositions, people from different sides of the fences, they all were “saddened” by the country’s loss.  And yet when Cory was alive and asking the people to be vigilant to all those who are planning to deceivingly corrupt the entire Philippine Constitution by Charter Change through Constitutional Assembly, those supporters where never to be found!  Amazing!  Just like Michael Jackson, everybody suddenly becomes a fan, everybody suddenly liked him, everybody is suddenly affected by the loss!  We only give importance to their legacy and contributions when those persons are dead, but while alive we were never that affectionate to the point of following by example.

3.    ON A LIGHTER NOTE, OUR MILITARY OFFICERS ARE ALL BUTT UGLY.  Paquito Diaz, Romy Diaz, Joaquin “Buwaya” Fajardo, Max Alvarado – eat your hearts out!  Our officers could effectively pass as villains in any action movie locally produced.  I was expecting to see tall, lean built, shortcut hairs, and elegant and graceful march from majority of our soldiers.  Instead I saw the opposite.  Some tummys are bulging and I see hairs, wherein during my CMT days I was required with that stupid 4 inches haircut and no sideburns.  Ramos, Enrile, and even the bulging Honasan  and Trillanes looks more of a soldier right now than all of them combined.  I couldn’t hide my disappointment at them.  No wonder some of our Filipina women are crazy for American soldiers.

4.    WILLIE REVILLAME WILL ALWAYS BE WILLIE REVILLAME.  I don’t think I need to say more.  There is a fine line separating the ethical and those who are pretending to be ethical for the sake of being famous.  Whatever block-timer reasons you have to put up to, National Interest comes first.  To DISRESPECT a former President AT HER FUNERAL – may the heavens have mercy on this moron.

5.    MY OUTFIT WAS DONE BY NATIONAL ARTIST PITOY MORENO.  WTF?  I thought National Artists are those supposed to have an impact historically and on a national scale.  I have nothing against Pitoy but a National Artist is somebody who did made an impact about the Filipino and nationalism, like Levi Celerio.  Plus I like Patis Tesoro’s Piña barong more.  And how about Carlo J. Caparas?  What are his contributions? The comics industry is dead already.  Can he revive the Funny Komiks franchise well-loved by children of the 80’s?  Yes, he made a lot of money on films without any nudity and currently raking in money on telenovelas but that is not an achievement.  Crying over your loved one who jilted you at the expense of another woman as a blockbuster plot does not contribute for national awareness… believe me…

6.    I NOMINATE MYSELF AS NATIONAL ARTIST.  Cecil Guidote Alvarez is now a National Artist.  Unfortunately, she is the chairperson of the National Council for Culture and Arts, the very same body that deliberates, debates, and approves the awarding of National Artist.  Conceitedly genius on NCCA’s part.  I have no objections though on Francisco Mañosa.  He deserves to be a National Artist.  His Coconut Palace is a personal visionary template for my dream house, if ever I could build one.  But the other three - Direk Carlo, Pitoy, and Chair Alvarez – they are way below Dolphy who probably deserves this award far more than them.