Unrepresentable

While Filipinos, cheerers and bashers alike, are hooked on Alex Eala and her intense weekly campaign in the women’s tour, EJ Obiena quietly vaulted to his eighth gold medal of the year with a season best of 5.91m in Poland, his first to breach the 5.90m mark in two years. His decision to train in isolation outside the country must have helped him focus, away from the grim realities back home. He represents a nation that is not presentable.

If the vault phenom maintains his momentum, he could peak in time for the Asian Games in September where he is defending champion. He could jump higher and breach the 6-meter mark one more time. He is one of the few men in history who cleared the elite barrier, although his country has long breached the psychological 60-peso to a dollar rate.

Unlike Obiena and the other jumpers who rise and fall on different occasions, the dollar has nowhere to go but up against the hapless peso. Although at times it decreases a cent, the negligible amount does not bring food to the poor whose problem is where to find the next meal. Just like the token gasoline roll back one day, only to be increased double or treble the next. The people still lose, as opposed to count back in pole vault that won for Obiena one of his eight golds. Where both jumpers clear identical height for the gold, the one with fewer attempts wins. No two persons share the top podium. Even in elections, two or more aspirants who obtain identical highest number of votes for a single-slot position will be decided by luck drawn by lot. If the people cannot decide, fate will.

Just as it may have been fate or luck that gave the country Alex Eala, EJ Obiena and Carlos Yulo. But only within the context of scarce governmental support that made them who they are. Champions are made, not born. But sometimes they are burned. One government agency falsely claimed to have financially supported the tennis ace, only to be denied by her family who spent for her training.

Unfortunately, Filipino athletes who triumph in the global platform can hardly attribute their success to a sustained and comprehensive sports program. They virtually train by their lonesome. Yet the government calls it resilience. It is beyond difficult to represent a country so unworthy of honest representation. Just as it is beyond difficult to defend the indefensible where evidence overwhelms, but the blur of public opinion readily acquits the guilty. By sheer stupidity.