EDITORIAL - The country of Vhong

At about the same time that actor and television host Vhong Navarro was telling his story about how he got beaten up, a series of fairly strong earthquakes rocked Leyte, hitting mostly areas devastated by the world's strongest typhoon to hit land just a little over two months ago.

Also at about the same time, the king of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, was making the rounds in Tacloban, the capital of Leyte and worst hit by the typhoon, to see what more he and his country can do to help. Guess which of the three made the bigger news in this country?

Why, the beating up of Navarro, of course. And of course there is your answer in case you may wonder at the same time why this country remains the basket case of Asia. Vhong Navarro over six earthquakes in Leyte just two months after Yolanda? Vhong Navarro over the Swedish king personally coming over to help?

True, no one was hurt in the Leyte earthquakes. And their intensities paled in comparison to the 7.2 magnitude monster that hit Bohol and Cebu. But the fact that nature's fury seems to be manifesting itself with regularity ought to have better significance over the beating of Vhong Navarro.

Also true is the fact that Sweden is just one of several dozen countries and dozens more organizations that have helped the typhoon victims. But the fact that its king had to fly halfway around the globe to be with the victims while our own president showed up only once or twice should have shoved the Navarro news aside.

But no, it was the Navarro beating that gained the most prominence. Even almost the entire government machinery is now humming with activity to get to the bottom of his beating, for God's sake. And we still wonder why only very few take us seriously on the world stage?

Every now and then, a few Filipinos do excel in their chosen fields to earn the respect of the world. And that is why our eyes grow moist over their excellence, because they are rare and precious occurrences. We cannot but be humbled in the presence of such treasures.

But Vhong Navarro? Who the heck is he? Whatever may have caused his beating surely cannot exalt the country in a way even near the consuming interest it is now paying every chapter of his story, which by the looks of it seems rooted in circumstances no parent may want to wish on their children.

The kind of attention this country is giving the beating of Navarro ought to be reserved for such cataclysmic events as when China finally takes over the archipelago. On the other hand, this could precisely be the reason why China has so little respect for us.