A word for water

Of all Nature’s elements and resources, nothing fascinates me more than water, which can be as gentle as a teardrop and as terrifying as a tsunami. Water figures prominently in my dreams and in my work, as a recurrent image of power vast and literally unfathomable. I was born on the edge of the ocean, and I have this suspicion that water will somehow figure in my passing, or my passing on.

For most other people it’s simply a daily need, a matter of food, health, and sanitation, although even that is never simple enough. In a planet of oceans, it’s ironic how water for many citizens has become a preciously scant resource, no thanks to our own uninformed misuse and blithe negligence.

This is why the United Nations has declared 2005-2015 the "Water for Life" decade, and March 22 World Water Day, to spark a global awareness of the importance of water in our lives. Here in the Philippines, its observance began last week with a symposium of experts sponsored by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts under executive director Cecile Guidote Alvarez.

Interestingly enough – and in keeping with Cecile’s lifelong involvement in theater, not to mention the concurrent observance of World Theater Week – Cecile also organized a gathering of artists to celebrate water as the primal source of all life. Great idea, Mrs. Alvarez! While the politics and economics of water are truly global conundrums to sort out at the ministerial level, the respect we accord water is a personal matter, something best left for the imagination to take into its hands.

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Last week’s column on speaking English resonated with many readers, one whom sent me this inspiring and eye-opening response from Singapore:

"I left the Philippines about 10 years ago to work overseas with a US multinational. Despite that, despite my attempts, I have never lost my Ilocano/Filipino accent when I speak English. And I have given up doing that, especially since an American colleague told me that they (Americans) appreciate it more when people of other nationalities speak English in their own way rather than trying to imitate an American accent. It sounds so phony to them.

"I have just come from South Africa where I spoke to our employees (an audience of about 800 people) and the country manager took me aside after my speech and told me I was such an inspiring and engaging speaker. I was laughing to myself because I thought, ‘Heck, in Manila, I would never get that kind of compliment. Either I will be too conscious about my pronunciation and my grammar to speak passionately, or the audience will be laughing at my accent or probably even my grammar!’ In fact, in Manila, I used to shy away from doing presentations and speeches. And by the way, I do get that compliment whenever I have meetings here in Asia or in the US.

"What’s the message here, Butch? As you teach your students, tell them to speak straight from the heart with the passion that they feel. It’s only when they do that that they begin to connect with the audience. Forget about their Ilonggo accent, forget that they may commit some grammatical mistakes – it’s the message and the passion with which it is delivered that counts!"

Amen to that! I’m glad this reader brought up that word "passion" – which, in addition to sincerity, clarity, and good sense, has been the requisite of every great speech in history, not to mention daily life.

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On the other side of speaking English, I’m happy to report that we’ve chosen our next representatives to the International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC) to be held in London this May – in other words, our next Patricia Evangelista. By "we," I mean the newly organized Philippine branch of the 86-year-old English Speaking Union, which once had Winston Churchill for its chairman and whose motto is "Global understanding through English." We held the national finals in conjunction with the Inquirer Intercollegiate Debate Championships last March 1 at the University of the Philippines.

Thirteen finalists – chosen from among the best college-level speakers at the IIDC and from the top three finishers of the high-school-level Voice of Our Youth competition – competed for the honor of representing the country at the IPSC, which the Philippines won last year, thanks to our now-fellow STAR columnist Tricia. While last year’s given topic was "A Borderless World," this year’s is "Differences and Diversity," and the contestants were asked to prepare a five-minute speech on the subject, followed by a brief interpellation.

The board of judges was composed of old hands at public speaking, diplomacy, the law, and letters: Former Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Cesar Bautista, British Council director Gill Westaway, Dean Andy Bautista of the FEU Institute of Law, Dr. Jose Campos of Emilio Aguinaldo College, Mr. Luigi Bernas of the Ayala Foundation, fellow STAR columnist and Palanca Hall of Famer Krip Yuson, and myself. We were also joined on the board by three previous IPSC representatives: Mahar Mangahas, Camille Ng, and Patricia Evangelista.

The top three finishers were, first, Kevin Punzalan of De La Salle University; second, Julie Prescott of UP Visayas; and third, Cyris Aquino of the University of Sto. Tomas. They all gave outstanding performances, and my congratulations to each of them. Each ESU branch is allowed to certify two delegates to the IPSC, so those two will be Kevin and Julie. Shell Philippines – through ESU-Philippines board member and Shell country chairman Ed Chua – has already graciously agreed to sponsor Kevin’s ticket to London, just as it did for Patricia last year, so if another sponsor would be willing to pick up the tab for Julie, we’d be very much obliged. We think that events like this are a relatively inexpensive way of giving the Philippines and Filipinos the best kind of global exposure.

We will be coaching Kevin and Julie before they leave, and once they get to London they’ll be met and prepped by ESU-Philippines friends: Ed Maranan of the Philippine Embassy (yet another Palanca Hall of Famer) and longtime UK resident Mrs. Loline Reed. Loline is on top of preparations, from the London side of things, for the formal launching of ESU-Philippines in November, an event that will bring over a formidable contingent of British lords and ladies (I kid you not! What a social nightmare this is going to be for your cheese-hating, mami-slurping penman, who just happens to be ESU-Philippines chairman. Uhm, Ms. Manners, does this call for a bowtie?) Loline’s efforts will be matched on this end by ESU treasurer and prizewinning author-editor Linda Panlilio, Ambassador Bautista, and the indefatigable Ms. Westaway. More details to follow.

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Send e-mail to Butch Dalisay at penmanila@yahoo.com.