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Friday, June 12, 2015

Is being ‘unprepared’ to compete in an international sporting event a valid excuse to fail?

June 11, 2015
by Kate Natividad
‘Not being prepared’ is not an excuse. What it is is a reason for failure, no more no less. And, yes, the failure of Filipino divers John Elmerson Fabriga and John David Pahoyo in this year’s Southeast Asian Games is a failure of ALL Filipinos.
filipino_divers_seagames
There is no other way to describe the fielding of these two unprepared athletes. It was yet another instance of Filipinos’ world-famous pwede-na-yan mentality at work. It’s like the way we complain about not being able to defend the West Philippine Sea because the Philippines is a poor country and therefore excusable for having an ill-equipped navy. Well now. If you are a poor country sporting a limpdicked navy, then you have no business playing globo-politics with the bigwigs.
Among the things the Philippine government did to “defend” its territories in the West Philippine Sea is to beach the World War II era scrap metal of a “warship” BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal. As in, wow. I can’t help but liken the Sierra Madre to Fabriga and Pahoyo. Why in the world would you send ill-equipped assets to compete?
Let’s not forget the whole brouhaha surrounding the recent fight of that other Filipino “champ” Manny Pacquiao. You can understand why some high-rollers wanted to sue him when they found out he fought Floyd Mayweather while suffering an undeclared arm injury. You’d be mad too if you staked a lot on a fighter you thought was prepared to win.
Like the case of Pacquiao, the Philippines staked its “pride” in the athletes it sent to Singapore this year. Its honor rode on the backs of Fabriga and Pahoyo. The level of performance they delivered in those games reflects the Philippines’ commitment to excellence (or lack of it, as the case may be). If Filipinos are so quick to attribute Pacquiao’s success to “Pinoy Pride”, how can they not make the corollary conclusion in the case of Fabriga and Pahoyo? Their failure is the Philippines’ failure!
But they did their best, right?
Whoa! You know what comes to mind? Stop me if you’ve heard this. It’s John Mason’s famous quote from The Rock
Your “best”?! Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f-ck the prom queen.
If there is one quintessentially-GRP quote, that would be it. But I’d do justice to that one in this instance by adding an excerpt from the lyrics of the late Whitney Houston’s hit song that was dedicated (I don’t know if by her or someone else) to Olympic athletes…
I want one moment in time
When I’m more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me Give me one moment in time
When I’m racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity
Take note. She only asked for one moment in time.
Nontheless, the best revenge is success. So if Fabriga and Pahoyo want to redeem themselves, the only way to do it is to succeed next time. And if Filipinos want to pray for them, the best prayer to say is that there be a “next time”. Whitney Houston might not be as optimistic.

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