Only when the curtain went up on the Olympics did the support start coming in for Martinez.
For those of you who will hate me, after reading this whole piece or reading the title of the piece or reading the title of the website please all I ask is you hate me for the right reasons I will not spend this piece trashing on Michael Christian Martinez. Quite the opposite I will shower my admiration. What I will do is talk about pinoy culture like I always have here in Get Real Philippines.
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I am going to date myself here. Then again if I don’t date myself who will? I remember watching a TV talk show on RPN 9 around July 1984. The topic : what does the Philippines have to do to get an Olympic medal? Well you know that 28 years later I came up with this. Back in 1984 I wanted to call in to the show since they were taking calls and say that it only makes sense that the more events you go in the better chance you can medal. I had followed the Olympic games that year in Sarajevo and I doubt many pinoys at the time cared. Before 1994 both Summer and Winter Olympics were held during the same year.
What a difference 28 years makes. What was once my joke is now a reality. Granted there are many things that are still a joke. What is not a joke is what Michael Christian Martinez ( and family) did to get to where he was. I had actually wanted to write about this for a month but it did not feel right at the time. One of the few things I found online for him was this.
Of course with the opening ceremonies the bandwagon went from empty to full in no time. Let”s look at some of the significant quotes on the topic and my take on them:
“Talagang kahit na wala tayong yelo, kaya natin iyan [Filipinos can do it even without snow in the country],”
Speaking of jokes, on social media I see many people harping on my all time favorite leader of men, Noynoy Aquino. How all of a sudden they are behind something that they barely supported. More on that later. In the meantime snow is mandatory for an event like cross-country skiing. Not so for any event involving skates like figure skating and hockey. My relative has been playing hockey decades in Marikina, Mega Mall and Mall of Asia. Recently there was a hockey game between the two Los Angeles teams outdoors in Los Angeles. Maybe some of the brains of Lacierda’s boss is really rubbing off on him.
Funny to hear Lacierda talk about talent and excellence. I have been waiting since 2009 to hear about the excellence and talent of his boss.
“I think our innate talent, when given the chance to perform, shows that we are truly capable of excelling,”
Edwin, simple question: Who do you work for? Tell me about his innate talent and how he excelled. You work for him and you justify him, I guess that makes you the expert in talking about innate talent and excellence.
“I don’t even think anyone at the President’s office knows there’s a Filipino skating in the Olympics,”
Mrs. Martinez, be assured there are many things President Aquino does not know.
Well ma’am, the guy after all is president. He has no idea what conflict of interest is. He does not know the Philippines does not have coroners. He does not seem to know what the Philippine flag is. He does not know how to act as a guest when invited to an anniversary celebration. So don’t worry, you are in good company. There is a lot he does not know. I am convinced that Noynoy Aquino had no idea that a sole Filipino was going to be parading during the opening ceremonies. Had he known he would force Martinez that infernal yellow ribbon to have and to hold until death do they part.
I want to make one thing very clear. Michael Christian Martinez is an amazing story. My hat is off to him. The reason why I feel that way is this nation did him no favors. Not the man on the street not the government that this nation elected. This is truly all his. He is not on a level playing field with the other athletes who were given better support by their governments. If the Winter Olympics is not a priority for our taxpayer pesos fine. I am quite happy that our taxpayer pesos goes to things like 50 million peso incentives for Senator judges to alter outcomes of impeachment trials.
If you think that the only place we let the Martinez family down is financial support then I would disagree with you. Pinoys as usual want all the glory but don’t want what goes into getting the glory. Martinez and his family had vision. His very early supporters had vision. None of the government or the country that is now cheering him had vision. In Facebook I see people posting urls where you can donate. Was there even one such post a month ago?
I always hated people who jump on the bandwagon and I always will. Whether its Journey, FIBA Basketball or Efren Penaflorida. My core belief has always been the pinoy cares more about the pansin they get than appreciating the excellence it takes to get the pansin. So none of this sudden attention to the young Mr. Martinez surprises me. He had to be literally the one guy holding the flag and the sum total of Olympic representatives in the opening ceremony for all of you to know who he was. Now you fund raise, now you chest beat. In the words of Stevie Wonder “where were you when I needed you last winter?”
The Philippines shows little evidence of being competitive internally when it comes to ice skating yet expect Gold.
Look at all the other Olympians. They all had to compete to be the best in their leagues and the best in their communities. Martinez it seems not only had no support from the government or a sports body. He succeeded without rivals to push him. Which means as a country we only have one skater that anybody really knows about who really originates from us. And this person had no significant rivals to push him. Read up on many Olympians who medal the following Olympics after being eliminated by someone who beat them in the national level. Your competition by being good in reality does you a favor. They give you a standard to shoot for. When a market is truly competitive the consumer wins. International excellence in sports is always achieved by cultures where internal rivalries are intense.
There is a first time for everything. I wll cut Noynoy Aquino some slack. I will still blame his shallow values trying to ride on the coattails of MCM like he has with Rose Fostanes. Anybody that accuses the President of trying to epal on MCM would be correct. Is the government’s lack of timely support and lack of foresight really indicative of us as a people? I believe so. Olympic medals are not born during an Olympic year but many years earlier.
I have no idea how this country can expect international excellence without a healthy local sports scene in sports not named basketball.
It is like all these people who expect the Azkals to make a dent in the World Cup. They ignore many facts about the pinoy sports scene. #1 The Philippines is one of the few nations on Earth that has no professional soccer yet somehow pinoys expect a championship team. #2. The Azkals are mainly composed of players who learned the game in Spain, Switzerland, England and Germany. All these players I assume if given a choice would rather play for the national team of a soccer power than for the Philippines. A country that does not take soccer seriously as evidenced by the apathy in the amateur and professional game locally. Pinoys in the international sporting sense are the type to expect to be given a PHD when they are not close to even graduating from kindergarten. Instant gratification without paying your dues in a national sense.
Filipinos do not bother to reward on merit so are so slow to catch on to people who deserve it. In fact they reward the “slow”.
Pinoys vote for The Noynoys, The Bams and the Nancy Binays of this great nation for one reason. They all believe that self entitlement overrules any notion of preparation or paying ones dues. They all believe a familiar name trumps having to research for reasons or qualities or qualities to vote for somebody. Michael Christian Martinez is the antithesis of the self entitled pinoy. The one who expects great things from people who have never accomplished anything in their lives. People who in lieu of accomplishments just point to dead people or try to look like dead people or dance Gangnam style. The sad part is that in the Philippines, it works in getting votes. This is the pinoy idea of being worthy of their democratic right to vote.
Victories are won with the work and dedication that is exerted when the spotlight is not on. I have no idea why some of you even think a medal is possible in a glamour sport. Where we have one entry ever in the history of the Winter Olympics. We have a far more extensive history of participating in the Summer Olympics and we have not medaled in years. Yet for some reason in the glamour sport some of you believe Gold is possible when MCM is the first entry ever? At least that what our resident genius Lacierda said. Then again he is the one that makes excuses for an unqualified leader on a nightly basis so just don’t believe him. Let’s make it interesting. If Martinez wins a Gold Medal in 2014 in the Olympics (despite the fact he is already a winner in my book) I will trek Ayala Avenue on foot devoid of pants. I will do it to raise money for his next bid. Luckless pedestrians running for their lives, I can see it now.
The easiest time to whoop up and cheer and give your support is when the spotlight is on. That is what KSPs do. That is what is happening now since we are in the middle of the Winter Olympics. A champion prepares well before the spotlight is on. This is one case where an individual got himself worthy of the Olympic stage not because he is Filipino but despite of being Filipino. There he was all alone on an island and developing himself . In the case of Michael Christian Martinez. His triumph is over a country that refused to support him whether it was financial or with providing worthy rivals. There he is carrying the Philippine flag more alone than Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Which was so fitting considering what he had to overcome.
For me it does not matter where he places. I don’t care if he does not overcome the Swedes, the Canadians or the Americans. He overcame the Filipinos. A nation that did not support him but fought him with indifference and neglect. A nation that during the duration of the Winter Olympics will suddenly (based on previous international competitions) become Figure Skating experts and may accuse the rest of the world (and the skating judges) of being racist. Face it Philippines in the words of Scott Van Pelt ” You are new to pretending you care”.
Congratulations Michael Christian Martinez and family and long time sponsors. You are representing the Philippines in the Winter Olympics precisely because you are not representative of the Philippines. I am not talking about your chosen sport but your internal fortitude. Congratulations for all your work when the bandwagon was filled only with apathy. You are finally getting a lot of applause and support from a culture that did not know you existed in 2013. A culture based on their lack of awareness and foresight does not deserve you.
Putting a very sharp needle into the balloon known as Pinoy Pride since 2012.
Response to Carlomagno in Facebook. Cut the government some slack since many athletes are self funded except for communist countries. #1 I targeted government for being epal. #2 they were not sole target of this piece. Thanks for reading .
atsaka cnu kausap mu putng ina ka?
wla nmn comment jan s taas mu ah!
sbi q n nga b puro freaks mga ta0 d2 ei!
“I’m schizophrenic and so am I ” . Styx
Wrong website dude. abante.com or bulgar.com
i think i may never know the reason why such a troll landed in this website. i seriously doubt he understood a single phrase in the above written article. i also could not comprehend why he has to do such things.
KSP is the root of all evil.
Dip me in gravy & call me the Colonel!!!!
KSP may be the root of all evil, butt no one makes a better tastin’ chicken this side of the Mississippi.
Ernest. You ever hear about the the guy the genie and the little piano player?
Jejemons are the REAL freaks but obviously you don’t know that don’t you,little pretentious twat?
Gogs do you have a link to thsi Carlomagno in FB? I think I know this guy…
There in the GETREALPHILIPPINES.COM Facebook. Not the Get Real Philippines Facebook.
alam mu b kung anu ung 22ong source of shame?
e2ng bl0g na e2!
ksi pag nk8a e2 ng mga foreiner bka isipin nila puro crab mentality mga tao d2!
tulad n lng net0ng post na2, halatang naiinggit k lng kay sir martinez ei!
wak nmn ganyan mamser! kya d umunlad pinas dhil s mga ka2lad mu ei!
Jejemon . The language of the intellectuals.
Hahaha agree. Because of stupid f*cks like him, our country turned into a craphole. A country of mediocrity and superficial thinking. Wag kasi magbabad sa telenovela at vhong navarro issue.
*absolutely righteous intellectuals.
I tend to disagree with that statement, but what do I know? I’m just a foreigner.
Kaya hindi umuunlad ang Pilipinas eh dahil ganyan ka magsalita. Sino ang seseryoso sa iyo. Balik ka ng kindergarten at magaral uli
mate, kulang ka ng reading comprehension, critical thinking and analysis, you can disagree with me by all means but if you do, prove it. enlighten us on why this blog is the true source of shame, write an essay or article so that we would have a better understanding of your view. dont be the kind of a person who can just talk but cant act…
RIP English. Tamad ka palagi mag-aral ng tamang pagsulat ano jejefag?
hopefully, you don’t associate jejemoness and being a fag.
Hey, why don’t you go read a Vhong Navarro article. Isn’t that the kind of thing your kind masturbates to?
ewww. another unenlightened jejemon commenter. may i just say the root cause of all evil is this jejemonness? such a glaring example of the mediocrity plague.
(as i reread the comment a fourth time, i wonder how crab mentality got in the picture?)
this comment makes want to double my efforts in educating the people here in the philippines. god knows i try.
@ kkeplos – naintindihan mo ba ang nilalaman ng article basahin mo at intindihin naman kc …
That is brilliant kkepios. Brilliantly stupid.
Oh I’m sorry I should’ve said “s2pid”, not stupid.
Nah, the real source of shame is a jejemon like you.
Using a retarded “language” would only bring shame.
Troll harder,little pathetic jejemon.
Honestly, as a filipino, i dont know or care about the winter olympics. We have many significant issues in our country and winter olympics is not one of them. Kudos to that guy for representing our country though.
Inspite of the fact that I’m not staying anymore in the Philippines, I am a proud Filipino. Any person who had given honor for the Philippines, I’m honored as well. I am very sad about Michael and his family being used by the government’s “handicap” of support and now BIR has full attention for the family to investigate the money that the sponsors had donated.
donation tax… isnt there a loop hole for this?
Before I forgot, if ever Michael will get the gold medal,they should file tax because it’s taxable according to BIR
much to the consternation of those smart pukes sitting in malacanang palace , a win by martinez will be a source of great humiliation for bs and his band of jolly highwaymen
The Philippines puts all its Olympic gold eggs in (Summer Games) in the boxing basket. Why does this country not concentrate on sports that suit smaller people like weightlifting, diving, Taekwando, Judo,badminton, canoeing, kayaking or any number of other sports? To an American like myself it is perfectly understandable that there are no credible athletes in the Winter Games, but NOT in the SUMMER Games!!!
I have other looks at sports in GRP that explain that Jerry. Let me boil it down to myopia.
“I don’t care if he does not overcome the Swedes, the Canadians or the Americans. He overcame the Filipinos.” i like this saying…you overcome yourself and your environment..
Hehehe, I just can help but laugh at kkepios. Sorry, dude maybe you just can’t understand the topic that is why you are unleashing your bad manners in here. Would you mind to give us your address? I know your answer to that, a big no. You are just courageous to say whatever you want because this is just in the net. Well, next time don’t mind us because we are giving our point of views in here it is just our constitutional rights to express our grievances or appreciation ( if there is) to the government or any topic that can affect right away or in the near future to us. So, it is better for you to continue play DOTA again. Maybe you lose the game that is why you, spoiled brat is trying to bully us here. If you are really brave enough why not try to come across with Gogs so that you will know what is you’re talking. Well, maybe it is also a waste of time because people with bad manners and conduct should not be given even a little amount of time. If I were you kkepios I will stay at home because you might encounter someone who’s worse than you.
I’ve seen this kid skate in person and on youtube and he is really good and deserves to be there. Walking into that stadium by himself with his countries flag is a tragedy….but he did it.
This kid has somethings the country desperately needs:perseverance, class and most of all, the BALLS to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
…and Gogs is right, the filippines doesn’t deserve this kid
He toiled in obscurity without the immediate gratification pinoys are so used to. The one hit wonders , the disposable noontime gags etc. He has boldly gone where no pinoy has gone before and all of a sudden everybody wants to take credit when this guy was so alone in achieving Olympic standard.
Our nations leaders who spend too much time politicking. Our athletes are not noticed…except when taxed of course.
No surprise martinez got no support from either the cojuangco run fiasco Philippine Olympic Committee – no kickbacks, or political capital – or from aquino run comedy central malacanan – pnoy aquino bats for the other side, and with no sportsmen in the family, and a grandfather aquino who ‘played’ for the japanese, patriotism comes low on their list.
this country is all about love of money. government dont value sports, arts. Stupid entertainment or showbiz industry.not moving on. not improving. grr so irritating. people in this country should be more aware that everything is not about money or gadgets. many people here so into superficial things. so disappointing! be creative philippines! dont be real. your realness is all nonsense. create yourself. be a better healthy you.
phlippines not really supportive on sports. it’s all about the case that ‘win first then you get the attention’. so sick. the officials in this country only concentrating on business or money. the big factor that destroying this country is the love of money! many people here love money so much and oh my god love of money is the root of all evil. they dont value anything aside from money. stupid country.. stupid mass not thinking well ..not disciplined. vote officials base on fame? base on surnames? nephotism. love of money. destroying this could-be-good country. educate yourselves filipinos!
Ahem. You were saying?
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/347921/sports/othersports/poc-private-sector-helped-finance-martinez-s-olympic-dream
I guess the entire premise of your entire self righteous post has just been flushed down the drain. Again showing why you are one of the things that are so wrong in this country.
I source what I quoted including the mother of the skater. As usual you did not read everything. Try again. Plus I don’t see you countering many of my claims like the useless competition and the woefully ignorant Lacierda who serves your precious president.
Actually that article seems to underline the points raised
“POC representative flew to sochi to hand martinez 50$/day..” !!
Sounds like emergency damage control. Wouldn’t you give the money in advance, put it in a bank account, use western union.
Instead you fly an official to russia to give someone 50$ !!
money for training is from IOC, not POC, who said they didn’t have enough. Right, cojuangco and the officials spend it all on 5 star trips around the world, and scams with bogus sports associations.
Any cojuangco or aquino involved in anything means incompetence and/or corruption and/or betrayal
And lacierda relies on his usual well worn – “we never recieved a letter”
“Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV on
Wednesday filed a malversation case before the Office of the Ombudsman against the heads of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)
for the release of PSC funds to bogus National Sports Associations”
Inquirer june 2013
This government. Just CYA.
Ahem. So anong point mo Caesar Saloma?If anything, pinapakita lang diyan sa ni-link mo that only the private sector and private individuals gave him support, not the government. Or any armchair pinoy-pride people for that matter.
Obvious butthurt is obvious.
And you’re just another fool who already made an assumption even before you read the entire article. You’ve entirely missed the point again, dude. In fact, the link you provided proved the point of the article even further. Here’s one of the last lines in it:
“Congratulations Michael Christian Martinez and family and long time sponsors.”
You’ve unknowingly supported the very thing you we’re trying to attack! If there’s really a loser here, it’s you.
Trolls were never big on reading and comprehension.
Oh, and before I forget, I wanna thank the admin for granting my deletion requests earlier. I promise I won’t be so careless next time.
Speaking of…I think you ought to read your article again, sir Gogs. I see some typos in your article. Here’s a couple:
“Quite the opposite I will shower my admiration.” I think there should be a period or a semi-colon between ‘opposite’ and ‘I’.
I also noticed some spacing errors. Here’s one:
“…but despite of being Filipino.”
I think I saw some run-on sentences too. I’m not flaming you or anything! Just showing that I care, sir. Peace. 🙂
“…but despite of being____Filipino.”
Strange how the spaces are automatically corrected for the comments section. But anyhows, that’s the spacing problem. I won’t say anything anymore.
It does happen. I will edit later. Thanks. You get benefit of the doubt.
Trolls never had any intelligence either.
Damn…this was supposed to be directed Caesar Saloma (Assumero ka, pre).
Anyways, I love how you put this one up, sir Gogs. I was thinking Michael Christian Martinez would again be another “cause-celebre” for those praydsters, but then you made me look at it at another angle. Yes…it’s damn true the rest of the Philippines (the people who only knew him now) doesn’t deserve Martinez, because it’s dickriding on his hard work; his hard work which was never even given two shits about before he came into the limelight. A great lesson learned here.
This article is very enlightening.
To face adversity without the support of your country is truly amazing.
Nakakainis na lang kung mag-take credit na naman ang pinoy pride dahil sa nangyaring ito.
I absolutely agree with this article. Very direct, honest,intellectual and articulate. Very reason why I give up my right to vote. Sad but after living in a Western country I learned why Pinas has difficulty competing to excel in all aspects. I love Philippines but the painful truth is written well by the author. To the people who disagree to the author wake up!!!!
I read an article a despicable move of a senator (I don’t remember the name)who shamelessly introduced a bill to grant citizenship to two American basketball players who have not lived a day in the Philippines simply to be competitive in the forthcoming world basketball championship in August. It is really a crying shame.
It is all about self worth and what you attach to that. Hence my saying KSP is the root of all evil. Insecurity by pinoy politicians and the pinoys who worship them causes a lot of misery here. And some people claim the GRP ilk are the ones who are negative. Don’t forget taxpayer money went to discussing banning Justin Beiber over one meme. There is no valid reason for pinoy pride. None.
This had to be told to me, but Gogs’ point is brilliant. Michael Martinez is a source of shame to Filipinos who believe in sense of entitlement because he broke their “laws” about Filipinos deserving dole-outs and not working a sweat to get what they want.
Have any of you, when you throw trash in the proper place, or are responsible with money entrusted to you, or are at least honest, encountered someone who said that you were dumb for doing so? “Ang tanga-tanga mo, you could’ve kept the money,” “you’re stupid, don’t be so honest,” and stuff like that? That you’re doing wrong because you’re doing right? Martinez is like that kind of person, doing it right, or the “hard way,” as some would call it. Perhaps there were people discouraging him from going to Sochi.
Perhaps before he went to Sochi, some Filipinos would tell him, “punta ka pa ng Sochi, eh magpagawa ka nalang ng gold medal sa Recto.” Perhaps after he comes home with a medal, the same Filipinos would say, “o, sikat ka na pala, magfiesta ka naman! Pakainim mo kami!” Hence what we GRP bloggers observe: the true winners succeed DESPITE being Filipino, not because of it.
It is not about work or the journey or the competition or the development. It is about the pinoy way. Epal, connections, the right family name, lagay , singit etc.
Basketball
Boxing
Basketball
Basketball
Boxing
There, I’ve ranked the top 5 sports of priority in the Philippines. Try mentioning luge or curling to the average Flip and they’ll look at you like you were from a different planet and make some BS rationalization about not having enough money or equipment when all you really lack is awareness of these sports.
Filipinos are stuck in a rut in the sports world by pigeonholing themselves in a sport that they were never very good to begin with and go leery at any other sport that doesn’t involve balls of some form.
You forgot two other “B” sports.
Billiards and Bolleyball. Billiards not even covered by Sports Illustrated but pinoys insist it is a sport just to get their claws into something.
I think another thing Filipinos consider a sport is Belting (or Bawling). That’s why we have too many singers and not enough scientists.
Boxing is a lot of rich uncouth white men watching poor uneducated black men beat the hell out of each other for fun.
Sounds like plantation days in the southern united states.
If you don’t have any accomplishment; you attach yourself to the success of others. This they think, will make themselves, a success also.
The oxymoron Lacierda, who can lie between his filthy teeth; is fast to grab the limelight of that Skater, for his Boss, the Chief YellowTard Aquino. So, don’t show your success; otherwise these YellowTards will grab it for themselves, or like “garapatas”, will attach themselves to you.
Hence my point that Lacierda is just a dumb a$$. We are not the first tropical country in the Winter Olympics and we won’t be the last. Then of course him clutching at straws Jessica Sanchez style. Bringing up athletes who were never raised or trained here. KSP is the root of all evil.
🙂 Actually the Philippines IS the first tropical country to join the Winter Games:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_nations_at_the_Winter_Olympics
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/winter-olympics-jamaican-bobsled.html
@MidwayHeaven:
Check the Olympic records: India had its Ice Skiers; and Jamaica had its Ice Speed Lugers, in previous Winter Olympics…
Edwin Lacierda and his ilk are a bunch of parasites.
If and when Martinez does get a medal in Sochi, then it would be HIS accomplishment. To have the Philippine government claim his success (and for the media to spout that his accomplishment is the accomplishment of all Filipinos) would perfectly fit the bill of what is wrong with Pinoy Pride.
There is no better example of Pinoy Pride than this. You’re right, KSP is the root of all evil, at least in the Philippines.
Michael Martinez, his family and friends sacrificed and gave much to get him into the Winter Olympics, and he has worked hard to reach the competitive Olympic level despite all the odds.
Nobody else cared about him before he caught the media spotlight. Nobody else supported him, most notably the government, to help get him to where he is today.
Every once in a while, someone like him stands out. He is an extraordinary individual in a country of mediocre individuals.
Now the sycophants are trying to ride on his coattails, claiming his success as their own, as if they have contributed something genuine to his success.
Pinoys see him as an example of Pinoy talent. I see him as an extraordinary example of the human spirit, who finds a way against all odds. Pinoys have no monopoly on that. Pinoys can’t claim sole ownership on talent, resilience or ingenuity. It is disingenuous to claim his success as the success of all Pinoys.
If this kid wins, I can already see him being invited to Malacanang or the House of Representatives for photo-ops with politicians. I shudder to even think about it. It makes me puke.
Thank you Gogs for this amazing article. You have hit it right in the spot.
Thank you. I just try to articulate what I see in perspective to what I have seen.
It pains me that sports and the arts aren’t given any priority by the government. These athletes had to rely on their own money to train hard and to travel, then when they achieve success – the government and the “PINOY PRIDE” bandwagon tails in. A disgusting act that only adds dirt to the Filipino’s flawed culture.
To those people who got butthurt reading this: Michael Martinez does not need false sympathies from people like you. He transcended himself to success that only a hardworking, self-persevering Filipino could achieve.
Pinoys themselves don’t support figure skating. How many of us go to an event or fundraiser or even participate ? Now it’s a Pinoy thing? No it is not . Bandwagon jumping and KSP and opportunism is a Pinoy thing.
Filipinos say that we have an innate ability to do anything. I doubt that many Filipinos are familiar with ice-skating, let alone being experts on something that only exists in certain countries then claiming that it’s our thing.
Filipinos are only known by foreigners for a couple of things: Defensive reactionists, electing politicians based on “star power” and complaining a lot. Add to the fact that we prefer to do things the “easy way” instead of the more rewarding yet harder route to success.
Innate ability to do anything Edwin? They sure as hell can’t even vote.
They have an innate ability to dig holes for themselves that they can’t get out of and then wallow in self-pity at their inability to rectify their self-created predicament, so the most that they do is resort to quick fixes and escapism in the form of consumerism, soap operas, noontime shows, loud music, dancing, trashy movies and frequent binge drinking.
They also have an innate ability to vote for incompetents and to take things in stride too much while wondering why they’re getting screwed over and over again.
@Gogs, it’s not that they can’t vote – it’s that they are so dumb enough to vote someone who’s as popular as Kris Aquino, they they complain that the government isn’t doing anything for them.
This culture has an endless cycle of self-owning themselves and not learning form their mistakes. If this trend continues, I doubt that there’s going to be real change in this country for the next 1000 years. I bet Jose Rizal is rolling in his grave until now for this nation’s stupidity.
Well yes Ian. Just like there is a vast difference between putting on a pair of skates and going ten feet without falling and what MCM is doing. There is a vast difference between the pinoys voting for the Noynoys , Bams and Nancy Binays of this country and actually voting. For one it discourages some well meaning competent person when a vote is so cheap both in the monetary sense and the contemplative sense. What’s the use of voting or what is the use of running when competence and achievement is never part of the equation. Let’s see Edwin discuss that innate inability of pinoys.
Well, what I wanted to see if Michael will receive support *after* the Olympics. Michael’s family couldn’t support his passion after they’ve mortage their house to send him to Sochi.
It will be a true measure of government’s support to its athletes.
Dude this article is amazing. It’s like everything that I was thinking about packed in a single article. It’s not like I was rooting for Martinez. I was happy that he was in the Winter Olympics, but I’m more worried about how the government tried to slam their way out of the issue that they didn’t give any financial support for this athlete. I just wish that the term of this president ends already. This is what you call overwhelming humiliation.
Thank you Harley. It’s not like my observations came out of nowhere. Here I am saying the country does not deserve him and no one really arguing, the government trying to piggy back is no surprise .
Somebody said it. Somebody finally fucking said it.
Will somebody translate this article in Tagalog and visayan dialect, then circulate it to the real voting public?
The number one PROBLEM in the Philippines is your VOTER. I blame the voters who keep on voting undeserving politicians, bullshit politicians who keep on dragging this country down to the trash can.
I only speak for me and not the website or the webmaster or the other writers. I am not prolific or fast. Meaning most of the time it takes a week or several weeks to write something it might take ten minutes to read. I have the same thought as you. Granted there are certain realities. People that need to hear this the most not only will not read the English I doubt they will go online to look for the Tagalog version of GRP. Just my perception but they will look for what they usually look for when online. Read my other posts and I talk about values. What pinoys value and what they don’t. It all comes out in the wash. I thank you so much though that you believe something I wrote is worth sharing. Share it anyway. If enough English readers read it and can communicate it to others who don’t look for English discussion then maybe we might have an effect like this: http://everything2.com/title/The+ability+of+planarian+worms+to+run+a+maze+more+successfully+after+being+fed+the+remains+of+a+successful+worm
i chuckled in having it translated to Filipino. Gogs would have to hire someone for sure. 🙂
nice article as usual. yes i have heard of him. didn’t know he was being made a fad by Pinoys now. glad i don’t have fb 🙂
I did not develop my answer properly. I mentioned how long it takes to be happy enough with something before I submit. Even if I could translate it competently I am too sick of looking at it. Pinoys can be expected to jump on the bandwagon as usual. Vancouver, Salt Lake City and Torino meant nothing but Sochi is suddently everything,
GMA online and Lacierda tried to discredit MCM’s family. http://manilatimes.net/raising-michael/75934/
I could go as far as saying that GMA was paid by the PSC to cover their asses, but that is just speculation. That is a good enough reason for some to discredit his mother. After all, with a P207 million budget that apparently goes nowhere, a lot is possible. Or maybe the ‘journalist; who wrote that report for GMA is merely incompetent. Who knows?
Appalling behaviour by lacierda, who no doubt will be changing his tune next week.
Also the money/funding came from the IOC, not POC, so about time POC and PSC were audited and called to account. A bunch of political cronies/crooks with no interest in, or knowledge of, sport.
The one guy here trying to poke a hole in my case is conspicuous by her absence .
There are tiny countries who support their athletes. Shame on a country of 100 Million that is not willing to come up with a few bucks to support this kid. It is a disgrace! If that kid would win some medal Philippine politicians, foremost President Coconut, would have wasted no time to parade him around. If I was that kid I would spit in their face and tell them to go #$%$ themselves. If the kid does well I suggest he takes on another citizenship. A Citizenship of a country that values his achievement. It’s easy for athletes to do so. Go try it Michael and best of luck. In the future when you win, extend your middle finger proudly and point it at the Philippine flag. There should be a public outcry to force the Government to support our lesser known athletes. But I guess if it does not involve a rubber ball or hitting someone in the face, no one cares. It is truly shameful!
You get what I was trying to say. Pinoys in general, the politicians and the populace do not believe in all the work before. They just believe in epal and hanging on in the moment. Where were they when this kid was honing his craft to get to Olympic level? Nowhere. Now they all come out of the woodwork when the cake is already baked and all it needs is to be taken out of the oven. No one helped with the groceries, or cleaning the oven or cleaning the pans. But they all want to eat. That is pinoy culture. This kid and his mom and his few sponsors that were with him in the beginning had the vision. That is so atypical of pinoys. Hence my piece.
Better late than never Mr. Gogs. I think some of the Filipinos legitimately had no idea he was there until the last minute. If anything, I blame the media more for not giving him more exposure.
Pinoys don’t care about the Winter Olympics which is not a crime. Just don’t go overboard like you discovered the cure for cancer. Non stop coverage. Of course once he was gone no one cared anymore about the Winter Olympics. Just like they never cared about Torino or Salt Lake or Vancouver. Again point being pansin is the catalyst for anything Pinoy .
The two things that caught me offguard was the reaction of the people after learning that they have a representative in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, and their expectation that Martinez will grab some medal in Ice Skating.
Let’s just all go to Pyeong yang next winter Olympics!
I find that hard to believe if Pinoys don’t even watch it on TV. No one cared about it until they discovered the Filipino flag was in the opening ceremonies.
I think what really caught our attention isn’t the fact that someone’s gonna represent the Philippines but the failure of our government to fund his training. I read an article about how the norweigian government turn down our offer to help the half filipina figure skater with just “thanks, but no thanks”. Funny right? Sorry for my english
I refer you to my friends Mondy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeeJv5kjq9I Johnny and Deniece.
I’m sure even the flag and jackets he wore with “Philippines” on it didn’t came from the government or any sport body. all from his own. He should have used the SM mall logo instead.
Essentially. That’s my point. No one believed in him to help him. While the politicians help themselves to public funds look at what this guy did.
Sochi Olympics 2014 was a big joke tho, especially during the ladies ice skating. Russia robbed the gold from South Korea. It was no less than Yuna Kim, the greatest female figure skater of all-time that they cheated on. The gold medal was given to some mediocre Russian, far inferior than Yuna Kim in all aspects. Commentators during the live broadcast of the competition from European countries even stopped commenting when the results came out because of such obvious robbery. It was “home-cooking”, home-advantage, over-scoring Russian figure skaters by Russian judges, and underscoring elite skaters from other countries (Italy, Japan, USA, South Korea). The fixing was totally in effect! Worst, scandalous olympics to date.