| Photo by Gabriel Bassino on Unsplash
In recent months, we have witnessed the Alex Eala phenomenon in tennis, a global sensation we haven’t witnessed before. Alex is a young Filipina athlete who broke onto the scene so suddenly and unexpectedly. She is not among the top 10, not even among the top 20 women’s tennis players. She struggles to claw her way into the top 20, and yet she commands the largest following, packing stadiums better than the top players in the sport.
Although other nationalities follow her journey, the bulk of her fans are Filipinos, who follow her to the ends of the world to watch her play. She has a lucrative contract with Nike, the icon in sporting sponsorship, despite her low ranking. Fans make every game electric with their enthusiasm and adulation of her. In every game she competes in, it’s easy to find her Filipino fans among the crowd waving the Philippine flag.
A typical Filipina who is modest and loves her roots, her fans adore her and find her a symbol of national pride. Another Filipino sporting hero in recent times is Manny Pacquiao. In Pacquiao’s prime, and even recently, he has put the Philippines on the map. He is regarded as a boxing icon, a decent man who speaks with his gloves more than with trash talk and sharp jabs at opponents, which are common in the sport. He inspired a new breed of Filipino fighters who follow in his footsteps. Eala will surely leave the same legacy.
“The people have lost their faith in the government, and the last bastion of hope for the voiceless and disenfranchised is a thing of the remote past. Generations of Filipinos grew up with Marcos’ martial law, and the political upheavals that followed, not a government.”
The Filipino phenomenon of athletes breaking into the international scene, receiving such admiration and pride from their compatriots, speaks volumes about Filipinos’ hunger for real heroes among their leaders in government and politics. Sadly, I’m a rarity nowadays. That Filipinos have are performers, athletes, and singers whose impact on people’s lives is not fundamental. They make us feel good, boost our national pride, and provide personalities to admire and emulate.
What Filipinos really need are heroes whose love for the country and its people overrides personal interest. Heroes whose abilities and political power are employed to improve the lives of many and lift the spirits of countless poor people struggling to survive. Formulate policies that create opportunities for the poorest of the poor and put the country on equal footing with its neighbors, rather than leaving it behind.
What happened to the long line of great Filipinos who sacrificed their lives for the country, the Jose Rizal, Gregorio del Pilar, Antonio Luna, Andres Bonifacio, Jose Abad Santos, to mention only a few? They left a legacy to follow, but greed and the intoxicating appeal of power have blinded many in politics and public service. The shameless, blatant thievery is what we see in the news.
The people have lost their faith in the government, and the last bastion of hope for the voiceless and disenfranchised is a thing of the remote past. Generations of Filipinos grew up with Marcos’ martial law, and the political upheavals that followed, not a government.
—————————————–
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Fernando B. Perfas is an addiction specialist who has written several books and articles on the subject. He currently provides training and consulting services to various government and non-government drug treatment agencies regarding drug treatment and prevention approaches. He can be reached at fbperfas@gmail.com.
