Reignite the Blaze

Another year, another losing season and another final four non-appearance for the College of St. Benilde Blazers. The worst part, we're getting used to it.

I was there when we won our first and only men's basketball championship. I remember sitting up in the stands, my heart pounding inside my chest. With every Sunday Salvacion basket, every Al Magpayo rebound and every Titus Mendoza hustle play, one side of Rizal Memorial stadium would erupt in utter delight. One side. All Benildeans. I remember the goosebumps on my arms as I sang the Alma Mater song. For one night, the other side of Taft Avenue was in euphoria. The Blazers appeared in the final four the next two seasons, reaching the finals in 2002 only to be defeated by San Sebastian. Since then, wins have been sporadic. Winning seasons and final four appearances, same as those goosebumps, have been non-existent. 

I admit, I haven't watched a single live game ever since. But I catch Blazer games on AKTV whenever I can. I check out team standings and box scores online. I may not be the perfect supporter but I try my best. And I'm proud of that fact. What I can't stand is seeing rows and rows of empty seats wherever my beloved Blazers play. Maybe it's difficult to watch the games live, especially when the matches are held during school and office hours but if the fans from the other team can find ways to watch, maybe we should, as well. I should be there to shout at every call the referees miss. I should be there to heckle the opposing team's free throw attempts. I should be there to to scream my lungs out at every good play my Blazers make. I should be there. We all should be there. Everyone. 

I won't pretend to know the ins and outs of college basketball. Heck, I won't even pretend to know the ins and outs of writing (forgive the typos, if any). What I do know is that for a college sports team to be successful, it needs support. From the school officials to the students to the graduates to the groundskeepers, every little thing we contribute goes a long way.  We are all Benildeans. It also wouldn't hurt if we got a couple of blue chip players in our sights for future seasons. With only a couple of players graduating from this year's squad, adding two or three marquee ballers to our young nucleus could yield positive results. I suggest the CSB team officials scout early and often for prospects that can help the cause and once they're in the fold, take care of them and support them 100%. And stop letting DLSU get our LSGH boys (Ahem... Thomas Torres... Ahem!). Hehehe.  

We need more scoring. We need more defense. More importantly, we need more fans. And maybe, just maybe, those goosebumps would return.

Animo La Salle. Animo Benilde.

The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same

I had high hopes that we had grown as a nation. That we wouldn't be swayed by surveys, celebrity endorsements and traditional politics. In the months leading to Election Day, I firmly believed that change was coming to my country. In this day and age of on-line campaigning, Facebook and Twitter, where credentials, achievements and platforms were mere scrolls and clicks away, everybody had access to the candidates. And with TV, print and radio serving as the messengers of our society, there was no way we wouldn't be informed. Everybody clicked. Everybody scrolled. Everybody looked. Sadly, everybody didn't see. In the end, it was still a popularity contest. It was still about who was the son, and who was the poor man’s supposed hope and the man who wanted to be the poor man’s supposed hope. Heck, even the disqualified candidate got thousands of votes. This may sound like sour-graping of the highest order. It probably is but only because in my heart of hearts, I know we could’ve done better. We should’ve done better. I’m sorry but I will not apologize for my beliefs. 

And so begins the Aquino era. Again. It is my right to say that I did not want him to win but at the same time, I will accept what my country chooses. That is the beauty of democracy. We, the people, get to choose who we want. Majority wins. Whether it is the right choice always remains to be seen. I will not take to the streets just because my candidate lost (Whoever came up with that crazy idea?). I will continue to hope that we, as a country, will eventually see past nostalgia, winnability and name-recall as bases for choosing our leaders. More than ever, I will be more vigilant, more involved and more watchful. I will be the Allan Peter Cayetanos, the Manny Villars, the Jinggoy Estradas and the Panfilo Lacsons. I will be part of the new opposition. But unlike the aforementioned names, I will not malign and shoot down every action of the commander-in-chief just because he is behind these acts. I will commend him for his good decisions and scrutinize him for his bad ones. I congratulate Noynoy Aquino for winning the presidency. I pray that he will be the president our country needs him to be. I pray that he won’t be used for personal reasons by the people around him. I pray that, under his watch, our country will be united and great once again. I pray that the people  have made the right choice. I had high hopes that we had grown as a nation. And we have. We just haven’t grown up yet. 

Sulong Pilipinas.

Note: I  wrote this more than a year ago, right after the National Elections. To be perfectly honest, besides his outlawing of car sirens or "wang wang," I really haven't seen much done under the Aquino administration. It's always "Gloria did this, Gloria did that." Fine, let's punish people for their wrongdoings. But when are we going to see new things from this government? Man up, Noynoy. Are you so scared of committing a mistake that you barely do anything at all? And what makes up the headlines of your presidency, your love life? Really? Really? Damn it, Philippines. You really voted for this guy. This guy? That's funny.