In Defense of the Azkals

Disclaimer: This article is neither written to ingratiate myself with the Azkaleros nor this is written to contribute to the ongoing battle between the fans and the non-fans.

There’s been some bashing and resentment in the Azkals on several fronts. While I can understand both sides, it seems that the side that wants to bash them is starting to get ugly, if not hateful. And as a young man who loves the Azkals as a team, I just can’t shut my mouth and wait for the worst. 

ISSUE # 1: “Di naman Pinoy ang mga yan!” 

It makes me sad that until now there is still this “half-Filipino” vs. “pure-Filipino” debate in Philippine football. It’s not only politically incorrect but also stupid in my opinion. Clearly, there is nowhere in our laws that gives a measure of being a Filipino by blood or by breed. Per Article IV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, one of the criteria to be considered as a Filipino citizen is “those whose fathers OR mothers are citizens of the Philippines”. Some of the current members of the men’s national football team have either a Filipina mother or a Filipino father, thus qualifying them to be natural-born Filipino citizens. Plus, if we take FIFA’s requirements for a national player, everyone who makes it to the Philippine national football team is definitely a Filipino. To question that, as well as THE Philippine Constitution, is a mark of ignorance. Or stupidity perhaps. 

But still, if you’re going to bash the team because they don’t look like Filipinos, you should carry that out to the other sports organizations that send representatives in international tournaments that do not fit your stereotype. Just to be fair. If you go along the stereotypical way of thinking, why not question Smart-Gilas for sending Chris Tiu (Filipino-Chinese) or Asi Taulava (Filipino-Tongan) to basketball tournaments abroad? Or question the Philippine Olympic Committee for sending 3 Filipino-American swimmers to the 2008 Summer Games? Or Binibining Pilipinas for sending Venus Raj (Filipino-Indian) in Miss Universe? I know it’s not a sport but what the heck. Nobody seems crying about that. Why question only football? Why? Besides, when these half-Filipinos do well in American Idol, we are quick to point out “Proud to be Pinoy!”. Ba’t di natin yun magawa sa Azkals? 

These players have very little to gain compared to the privileges they would receive in Europe. Yet, they choose to wear the Philippine colors. And for that, we should be grateful. The Azkals are Filipinos. They represent the Philippines. Like their looks or not, they are Filipinos.

Issue # 2: “The Azkals are bunch of losers. They should be winning. Otherwise, there is no point in continuing admiring them. Praising a losing team for years and years di’ba?” 

Really? Where were these voices when the Azkals trashed Vietnam 2-0 (AFF Suzuki Cup 2010), when the Azkals entered the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time and beat Sri Lanka 5-1, when the Azkals came second in the Long Teng Cup or when the Azkals whipped former AFC Challenge Cup champs India and Tajikistan and made it to the semis of the AFC Challenge Cup for the first time evaaar? 

I find it totally weird when people are quick to point out, “talo na naman ang Azkals, ang bobobo kasi”, when in fact, they didn’t even bother to watch the game. Hypocrisy at its best. If you know football, you should know that winning is not easy as that. We have just rediscovered our love for football two years ago and some people expect na panalo agad lagi. Sorry darling but things don’t happen overnight. But by looks of the games the Azkals are playing now, the team improved by leaps and bounds. It is a far cry from the days when we used to score 0 against the opponent’s 15 (Philippines 1-13 Indonesia, Tiger Cup 2002).

And I dare say, the Azkals are worthy of being idolized. Because, hell, why not? The Azkals have given us something to start with. They may not be up to world standards (or your standards) but what’s more important is that they inspired a new generation of kids to play “the beautiful game”. In fact, there is now a long-term plan in football. There is already a U-13 homegrown team that has recently tied against its Malaysian counterpart. Lovely! Super freakin’ lovely! 

Let the Azkals do their job and let them achieve whatever success they can. Allow them that. 

Issue # 3: “Mga rapist naman yang mga yan.” 

All these are accusations that haven’t been proven in court. There was a past accusation and it didn’t go anywhere simply because it wasn’t true. And this new accusation is still being investigated and still unproven. Like all of us, they deserve due process, not public judgment. And like any other citizen, one is consider innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law. 

“Hindi ko kayo ka-kultura. Kasi wala dito (pointing to his chest)… at wala dito (pointing to his head)…”

“Hindi naman kayo Pilipino. Nagpapanggap lang kayong kayumanggi. Hindi kayo dito lumaki”… 

I have no idea what prompted Mr. Clavio’s kayumanggi rant. Moy and Guirado might have had their faults, but if we we’re talking about the alleged sexual harassment case, does it really need mentioning a person’s race, lineage or cultural upbringing? Hell no! 

“Alam naman nila yung mga sexcapades nila sa isa’t isa eh, di ba? Sino ba nag-penicillin.. Alam naman nila yun.”

“Akala siguro lahat sila gusto silang matikman siguro… makasama…Diyos ko.” 

O.O Seriously Arnold, seriously?

I see nothing wrong with expressing your opinion in front of national television because everyone (including tv personalities) has the right to speak themselves (Article III, Section 4, 1987 Philippine Constitution). However, I can’t and will never understand statements made by individuals that reeks bigotry and discrimination. What Mr. Clavio did and his sniping remarks were way too much and totally unnecessary and unprofessional for a journalist. There are so many way to express your displeasure without being uneducated and overall stupid.

We need to make the guilty pay for their mistakes. If Moy really said those things while referring to the accuser, he should be by any means, punished by the virtues of the law. But not until Moy is proven guilty. Due process dude, due process.

We Filipinos should think twice when we say something bad about our fellow Filipinos. It reflects the kind of attitude we have towards each other. Our attitude towards the Fil-foreigner players of our men’s national football team is one of the reasons why our nation is not only geographically divided but also morally worlds apart. 

And puh-lease let us stop this Azkals vs. (insert name of sports team here) thing. This is not football vs. basketball. Or dragonboat. Or boxing. These sports can co-exist. Wag hilahin pababa ang isa para itaas ang isa. We need to support our sportsmen and women, whether they performed well or not.

Let us kick discrimination, bigotry, hatred and crab mentality in Philippine sports. I’ll look forward to the day when the 95 million Filipinos could shout in unison: GOAAAAL! 

Go Philippine Azkals! TEAM PILIPINAS # 1!

Pursuit of Happyness

(Photo got from Tumblr. Thanks to the owner.)

I was preparing to sleep the other night when I suddenly realized that I hadn’t blogged for a long time – 38 days to be exact. I miss my blog and I know you’re wondering what might have happened to me. So there we go. I’ve been busy. Hell busy.

You might be asking what I could be busy with. A new girlfriend? Hell nope. I wish I could still have time for that. A new hobby? No. A new “job”? Yes! And I’m happy.

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Coming in and out of post-college depression, the months leading to this week were a bit of a struggle for me. I’ve felt so unfocused with what I wanted to do in life. I just can’t seem to find the direction to where I’m headed. I was lost. I prayed for directions. Or signs. Or clues where to go.

In high school, I used to believe that I can get everything that I want to the point when I thought I could just sit quietly and wait things to fall in my lap. And I’m self-centered like that. But then, reality kicked in. At the end of 2011, I was beginning to think whether I should start following a different career track. Then my friends started getting their dream jobs. I can’t say I didn’t feel envy. Actually, I did. From there on, I started doubting, hating myself.

And then something hit me strong in the head (prolly my mom’s nagging). I could not just let insecurities swallow me. I could not just let my awesomeness fades away. And besides, sayang ang looks ko kung magiging tambay lang ako. 

It was only the last week of February when I started sending resumes and stuffs and hoping that someone out there is willing to give me a job. Luckily, someone did. I now work as a nurse in a private hospital in our province. Needless to say, I have a made a decision to pursue my profession. When I accepted the job, I felt I was doing the right thing. I know you know the feeling of doing something you’re really passionate about – in my case, to help others and save lives. I felt infinite. Cheesy shit but true.

Life didn’t become any easier. But slowly, I’m starting to get a glimpse of what my life would be in the coming years. I may not exactly where I want to be but this is a start – a good start. I’m not proud of what I was (which was a total mess) a few months back but I’m not ashamed of it either. Life isn’t always peaches and cream. What separates the successful people from the unsuccessful is the ability to deal with life issues maturely, realizing that the hard times are learning opportunities and that’s what makes us wiser in the long run.

An Interview with the Awesome

Meet Hoobert the Awesome, a 20 year old pure-blooded Filipino, unico hijo and blogger superstar. I recently caught up with the living legend as he celebrated the 3rd year blogversary of his baby, Chillspot.

In The Name of Jubert

It is essential that you pronounce his name right if you want to be his friend. It’s Jubert and pronounced as it is spelled. “One thing you should know about me is that some stupid people can’t get my name right. People just fucked it up!”, he blurted.

Is there any story behind the name?

“As much as I want to think that my name has some British connections but nah, waley. I think Mom had just a penchant for combining syllables in naming her offspring. My name came from them actually, JUDY + HERBERT. And my sister’s name is Herdy. Well, just figure that out.

(Not very imaginative, I must say, but at least it’s in honor of his parents, not after some movie characters or Hollywood starlets.)

You said that people can’t just get your name right. Can you explain this a little bit further?

“I heard a lot of variations of my name especially nung nasa college pa ako. A mate called me John Rupert one time. It was annoying and funny at the same time. Pero there’s this Chinese-themed grocery-slash-eatery that we always frequented na hindi talaga ma-gets ang name ko – Juvert, Jobs, Jobert. The worst? Juvy.”

If you have to do it over again, would you change your name today?

“I’ll admit that I’m not too fond of the name, it’s a tough one and I’m quite blaming mom for that. Hahaha. But I don’t think I would change it. I got used to it.”

So where does Hoobert the Awesome came from?

“I want to thank Jessa for that. Jessa started calling me that when I was in senior college then it stick to me like a bubblegum. I just added the word awesome ‘cos that how I describe myself. Hahaha!”

The Romantic Side of Him

He was 16 when he had her first serious relationship. “It didn’t last long. She had her priorities, I had mine. We don’t have any other choice but to end it. It was completely mutual, we’re both fine. We both knew it just didn’t work and no hard feelings at all.” Then Hoob adds this revelation: “The most hurtful one was my most recent break-up”. Late last year, his girlfriend of seven months broke up with him. “I was really, really hurt. I didn’t saw that coming. But oh well, that’s life. ”

How did you cope up with the break-up?

“At first, it’s really hard. I have to admit that I sulked in for days and there was a point that I cried. I don’t want to use the term suicidal but something close to that described what I was feeling. I was so afraid of the days that would come for I know they are moments without the love that made me complete. It was so tough but I had to bring myself back into consciousness and pick the pieces up.”

Do you still love her?

“To be honest, I still do. I’m really sad about the break-up. I’ve been keeping busy and all to take my mind off her but I’m having a hard time.”

Are you still friends?

“You know, sometimes people go through phases in their lives where they must be apart, I think we’re on such phase right now. Healing obviously takes time but I’m looking forward to the day that we’ll be good friends. ”

What did you learned from this break-up?

“This may sound so bitter of me but I realized that people are meant to fall in love but are not destined to be together.”

What’s your two cents on long-distance relationship?

“I had two long-distance relationships before and obviously I sucked big time on handling them. But that’s just me. If you really like each other, stay together. However, be prepared for ridiculous amount of stress ‘cos it is difficult no matter what the few couples who managed it say. Usually, one of you will stop trying to work on the relationship. When the work stops, the split starts.”

What do you think is the key to a happy relationship?

“Love and trust.”

Meet the Blogger

A blogger since 2009, Hoobert has covered everything from political rants and national election to his dirty little secrets, college-life and his undying love to the Philippine men’s national football team. Talking about blogging, he reminisced: “I never really thought that my blog would last this long.” For the record, Chillspot is his fourth blog. He described his first three blogs as amateurish. But I guess, most bloggers started just like that, right?

Hoobert, what or who inspired you to become a blogger?

“Writing will always be in my blood. It’s a personal relationship for me. I started doing essays when I was in grade school but I only started blogging after being inspired by a Thai-Belgian blogger whose feisty views I religiously followed. Mga 2008 yun e, but I only took this whole blogging thing seriously a year after that.”

What’s the best thing about blogging?

“Just the fact that I have the ability to to reach out and touch people through my blogs, be able to speak my mind and express myself is a gift.”

And the worst?

“In my case, it eats a lot of my time. I check my blog three times a day, more if I’m not doing something. I think you also know the feeling of how it is like to be stuck in the blogosphere, you know what I mean. I’ll tell myself one minuter but then the next blog I visit is too interesting to read and the next blog and the next. Before I know it, hours have passed.”

Do you like getting recognized?

“Of course, when people would drop some comments telling me that my articles help them in a way, it inspires me more to keep going. Sobrang sarap sa feeling. And it’s not because it gives a celebrity-like status but because it means I’m doing something right.”

Do you receive any hate mails/comments?

“Hahaha, yes. Prolly the worst was when an anonymous guy called me a dimwit.”

What do you feel about them?

“It’s hard because I get attached to my blog and I want people to like it as much as I do. But at the end of the day, I also understand it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but as long as I’m happy with it, I think that’s all that matters.”

What advice would you give to people who want to be a blogger?

“Whatever you fall in love with, you can succeed at.”

Should you meet Hoobert the Awesome in the future and forget to properly pronounce his name, here’s a quick guide to get you started on facts, favorites or just to get the ball rolling.

How To Win A Pageant Even If You’re Not (That) Good-looking

Well, it’s PNSA Ambassador and Ambassadress of Goodwill season again!

Honestly, it’s one of the few events that I look forward to when I was still in college. Because, hell, why not? It’s the only time of the year when eye candies from different nursing schools in the region strut their stuffs on stage and vie for the bragging right of being, well, PNSA’s most gorgeous.

It must be nerve-wracking to some of the candidates. I remembered joining a department-wide pageant a year ago. Oh God, it was a very exhausting and pressure-filled experience. I remember being too psyched about it, mainly because that was my first (and last) pageant evaaar and that pageant thing was for ego-boosting purposes and bragging right that I joined and won a pageant.

“Jubs, you’ll represent the team sa Nightingale”, our team leader told me. With no second thoughts, I nodded. I literally had no idea what I was going into. Bahala na, I said to myself. I was in my senior year and I just wanted to have fun. That night, I told my mom about it. At first, she disapproved. “Gastos lang yan”, she said. But in the end, I still had her blessing (and her financial assistance).

As the days for the pageant became near, I got busier and busier. I remembered waking up at the middle of the night just to practice my walk in front of this huge, huge mirror in the dormitory’s men’s room. I shopped for new clothes with my mom. I remembered spending a large portion of my weekly allowance to buy stuffs – paints, ribbons, masks blah blah. Went to rehearsal. To tell you guys, it wasn’t easy. That’s why it made me venerate guys who constantly join in this kind of events. Applause applause!

At this point, I want to thank my family for being so supportive. My mom and my two sisters showed up in the day of the pageant, brought me some snacks and dinner and was ready to cheer for me.

Hours before the pageant proper, it sunk in to me. The thought. The anxiety. I may not show outward signs of beingfor new clothes with my mom. I nervous but deep inside my vital organs were coiling. I was conscious of how, at any given moment, I might throw up. All those I thought were preparations suddenly seemed not enough. All that self-assurance suddenly went down.

Before I could realize what happened next, I was on the backstage waiting for my number to be called.

The host: “Candidate No. 5 Jubert John Marzan.” Not much of a choice. Fight or flight.When I went on stage, I saw the crowd cheering for me (but I heard someone boo-ed me, bad!). I felt so much loved. I thought: “Let’s do this! I’m actually having fun.”

After hundreds of costume changes, the preliminary Q&A was next. Everybody got a question. It was asked in English. So easy, I thought (to tell you, I didn’t really prepare for the Q&A that much). The judge asked me (I’m paraphrasing): “how would you promote breast-feeding to mothers?”. Honestly, I fumbled for an answer but managed to give one in the end. ‘Wag niyo ng itanong. Nakakahiya! At saka nakalimutan ko na. Hahaha. At this point on, I wasn’t expecting anything. I knew that my answer in the Q&A messed up my scores. My answer, I believe, wasn’t that bad but it wasn’t good either.

WORD VOMMMMIT!

Then, the announcement of the Top 5 came next. I knew then and there that I won’t place. But guess what? The unexpected happened.

The host: “The last spot goes to… contestant no. 5, Jubert John Marzan!” Yaaaaay! That’s me. I didn’t saw that coming.

To make the story shorter, I made it into the Top 5 and managed to give a decent answer in the final Q&A. I didn’t win the title. I only ended up as 2nd runner up but it felt good. My family was happy. Our team was happy. I was so proud of myself. The experience taught me that “it’s not all always about winning”.

Probably the lesson of the story is that, in a competition like this one, being smart and good-looking doesn’t guarantee you of winning. What you need is the determination of a winner. The drive. The desire. The confidence. Believe in yourself first so that you can make everyone believe in you. Though it is a popular answer among beauty queens, that doesn’t make it any less crucial.

Looking back at joining the pageant, I realized that back then I made decisions on my own.My family initially discouraged my plans of joining but in the end I joined and eventually got their support. Why? Because of a simple reason: I wanted to be there. I felt that it would make me happy. I joined not because my friends pressured me to do so but because I wanted to.

TO THE CANDIDATES: Do your best but don’t be too hard on yourself. Be competitive but at the same time have fun. Don’t be intimidated with the bashers/haters/bitters (inggit lang sila!) and your fellow contestants, instead learn from them to do better.

Shameless plug-in. As for me, I’m rooting for Iana babes – my girl on this auspicious event.Don’t vamp a reason that because she’s my friend. She’s really nice. If you’re looking for a knock-dead gorgeous, it’s her – hands down. Whoever is reading this that has a Facebook account please visit the official page now, support Iana and drop some comments. No, there’s no prize for nasty comments so just zip it.

1. Like the pageant’s official page here (PNSA Ambassador and Ambassadress of Goodwill 2012).

2. Then like Iana’s picture. Please please please. She’s pretty, isn’t she? (Iana’s glamshot)

Thank you.