How to make the whole Philippines happy

"You're watching YouTube!" My son hurriedly moved his laptop away from me when he heard my accusation. He had said that he had to research on something and needed to go online. I had spent most of the afternoon pestering him to study for a long test in Filipino the next day.

In between my nagging, his father would talk to him about the results of the latest NBA games and who the best players were going to be. Their conversation about basketball went on while he was holding his handouts for Filipino.

"If you knew your lessons in school as much as you knew about the NBA, you'd get straight A's," I continued nagging.

"Maybe B's. I'm not very familiar with old players," my son deadpanned. His father tried not to laugh and failed. My son and I had previously argued about who the best player of this century is. He claimed it is Kobe Bryant. I said Michael Jordan. He pointed out that Jordan was the best player from the last century. I felt so ancient.

Curious about why he was not interested in his Filipino lessons, I read one of the handouts and found that it was an article in Tagalog asking why Filipinos, despite having one of the highest literacy rates in the world, do not buy books by Filipino authors. The article pointed out that the bestselling authors in the Philippines are J.K. Rowling, who wrote the "Harry Potter" series, and Stephenie Meyer, who wrote the "Twilight" series. It was an interesting essay but not something that kids would enjoy reading. It was easy to understand why my 13-year old child would rather do something else, even under threat of failing an exam.

I stopped nagging when I remembered how Balarila in grade school used to give me ulcers when I was eight years old. I could not figure out why kasuy (cashew) would be the answer to a riddle saying "isang prinsesa, nakaupo sa tasa" (a princess sitting on a cup). When I saw cashew fruits for the first time last year, I finally understood why. Too bad I did not see any cashew fruits in Cebu in the 1980's. I could have had a less traumatic time studying Filipino.

The traditional reason for having a national language is to foster nationalism and love of country. The choice of Tagalog as national language annoyed (and continues to annoy, I suppose) non-Tagalogs, despite its being renamed "Filipino." Decades have passed since this justification was first used and yet many continue to complain about the lack of nationalism and love of country of majority of Filipinos. I can only conclude that it is about time we rethink our assumptions about what the "Filipino nation" is and should be. Having Filipino as the official national language needs to be re-thought. Maybe we should have several national languages to reflect our cultural diversity. Come to think of it, maybe we should rethink all our national symbols and repeal the law making it criminal to wear the flag as a costume and to sing the national anthem in a manner different from the arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe. It is silly to equate respect for, and love of, country on matters as shallow as these.

"I hope Pacquio wins so that the whole Philippines will be happy," an acquaintance said over lunch a few days before the fight. I knew his sentiments were echoed by millions of other Filipinos. I guess that's what we need to find more of--the equivalent of a Manny Pacquiao as a source of national pride (and happiness).