We beg to differ.
A common argument I’ve been seeing directed at people who dare write about Filipino-style basketball in a critical way comes in the form of this statement… You probably don’t play basketball so you won’t understand where we are coming from. Funny that. If there is anything more bizarre than Filipino exceptionalism, it is Filipino Basketball…
Read More “Filipino pride and ego delivered NOTHING to Gilas Pilipinas” »
I noticed there was the distinct flavor of reaction to Kate’s recent post in GRP: Gilas-Aussie brawl proves basketball is a TAMBAY sport in the Philippines A lot of people seem to believe that GRP writers should not even write about sports. Even more people think GRP writers should not write about anything. Well you…
Read More “A Simple Solution For The Problem Of Trolls Who Tell You What To Write” »
I know, my colleague Ilda had an article why she believes in sports as a good thing to get into. Sports has exercise and helps develop competitive spirit, desire to grow and grit. I agree with that. Some even say, better to be into sports (at least it’s a hobby) rather than getting into drugs….
Read More “Why *Spectator* Sports is not the Hope of any Society” »
What can I say? Philippine sports mirrors Philippine life. The unclassy behavior of Gilas Pilipinas broadcast to the whole world the other day reflects the way Filipinos regard their national sport. This is, after all, a sport played on any large enough hard surface that could be found across the country. Watching a barangay league…
Read More “Gilas-Aussie brawl proves basketball is a TAMBAY sport in the Philippines” »
It comes down to a single Filipino word that encapsulates everything that could be gleaned from the now viral footage of the brawl: pikon. In that melee was exhibited a representation of how Filipinos represent their country and the renowned lack of a sense of proportion applied to their collective notion of “national pride”. Perhaps…
Read More “Mediocre Filipino basketball followed by shameful Filipino-style brawl” »
Indeed, those who lived through it live to tell about it. Those who died, well, aren’t really in a position to say much today. All they really have are those who presume to speak for the dead. It is therefore no surprise that the presumptive “leaders” of the Opposition, the so-called Liberal Party (better known…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is already two years into his term. While he is not the first presidential candidate to be elected on the promise of change, he is possibly one of the few under whom Filipinos feel that it is genuinely happening. Duterte has done quite a few things differently from his predecessors. He…
Read More “Rodrigo Duterte may inspire Filipinos, but he cannot change them” »
It has become a social disease at a national scale. Self-righteous cliques within the Philippines’ chattering classes have turned piety selfies into the latest fad. Thanks to the recent critical statements Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had made against the powerful Roman Catholic Church, this has been observed most markedly amongst the “thought leaders” of the…