THERE’S a story about an old man who asked a librarian on how he could trace his ancestors and create a family tree.
The librarian replied, “Sir, the best way to start is to win the lottery!”
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Amid all the accolades and the freebies and the rewards (deservedly) given to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz for bringing glory to our country, a maker of plastic products decided to spill some hot tea into the party.
In a now-viral social media post, the plastics brand urged all the politicians and companies showering plaudits on Diaz to step back and examine their hypocrisy or, to use a uniquely Filipino term, “kaplastikan.”
“Last year, na-seen zone si Hidilyn sa 'ting mga brands. Ngayon, cheer zone tayo sa kanya," the ad stated.
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Not only was Hidilyn "seen-zoned" by many of our government officials when she appealed for help, her life was also placed in danger after she was mistakenly placed on a “matrix” of people allegedly plotting to overthrow the Duterte administration.
That was a lot of hogwash, in my opinion – and certainly showed how narrow-minded a few government officials could be.
Is simply asking for help to bring glory to your country a terrorist act?
Ah, I think because some of our officials handling our sports are more interested in bringing glory to themselves than actually making life better for our athletes.
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I remember this quote from a 1982 novel called “Flanagan’s Run,” about a fictional transcontinental footrace set in the United States in the 1930’s.
An official of the United States’ Olympic Committee strived to block the race from happening, as he feared it might draw attention away from the upcoming Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Finally, the organizer of the race met with the official and told him bluntly: “People like you don’t love sport; you love the committees, the parties, shaking the President’s hand. You think you’ve got some sort of God-given monopoly to run sport.”
That quote, I think, summarized some of our sports officials best – they’re not really in there for the love of sports or striving for excellence; they’re there to either get some attention to themselves or, worse, to make a quick buck.
But the worst part is some Filipinos who have earlier called for Diaz to be stripped of her ranking at the Philippine Air Force and be barred from sports for allegedly “destabilizing” the government, are now cheering for her as she brought fame for the country for the first time in the Olympics’ 97-year history.
That’s one aspect of our culture I don’t especially like: one day we’re backstabbing this guy, the next we’re rooting for his success as if we’re not the ones who earlier tried to pull him down.
As that plastics ad said, “Totohanan lang, walang plastikan.”