Exotic

Many Filipinos don’t know or care about Winter Olympics in general, or the current ice games in Italy in particular. They neither know nor care whether they are now represented by skiers Francis Ceccarelli and Tallulah Proulx. Such foreign sounding names. Hard to say and write, could be a ground to change them legally in this country. A candidate even replaced his surname with his full screen name, with the first name part of the surname. Complicated, but the court has spoken, through judgment, the people, through the ballot.

The country that dreams about snow ignores, or better yet is ignorant, of the ice games. Understandably, it only experiences wet and dry seasons. Binary, although sometimes some phenomenon happen in between, courtesy of climate change, fantasy of one presidential candidate to bring four seasons to the country, winter particularly.

The only Filipino winter athlete the country probably remembers is skater Michael Christian Martinez who now coaches the sport he figured by his lonesome. Around six others represented the country, most if not all of them are products of mixed marriage, which must have started with the Filipino parent leaving home and family to find better life in a foreign land and ended finding a foreigner to love.

Ironic if this tropical country medals in the winter games. It even took a century to finally win gold in the summer games. But who knows, this is a country self-inflicted and self-conflicted with comedy of errors and terrors, a group of islands surrounded with water or a body of water studded with islands. Either way, it is called archipelago, where are the swimmers though.

Just as it is a vertically challenged race, otherwise known as short people, obsessed with basketball, the massive game for the hefty and the tall. Just as its women are known for grace and elegance, in pageantry, not in gymnastics, rhythmic or otherwise, where artistry is the key.

Just as it has the largest Catholic population in Asia, but one of the most corrupt. Iconic, without reference to statues they venerate. One of the poorest too, although rich in reality, just plundered by people it calls honorable. Horrific. Just as its people are deeply religious, but enable and celebrate thievery of public money, and confuses integrity with weakness. Septic, not the tank, but robbers laughing all the way to the bank. Just as they are selfish, but tolerate and even justify invasion of territory in the name of hospitality. Or stupidity. Unpatriotic, either way.

Just as they are faithful to whoever their god is, only in ritual, faithless in practical. Ironic. Just as they are most judgmental, without discernment, or the ability to tell right from wrong, or how to right a wrong. Diabolic. It is a country so wronged but feels right about it. Apathetic. Just as it is lost, does not care where it goes, there is destiny anyway. Fatalistic. Or better yet, pathetic. No, idiotic.