Hopes on Hoops

China has been elbowing our players in the West Philippine Sea for years now. We tried to play it fair. International referees even reviewed the footage and called out a foul on the Middle Kingdom. But the big fella doesn’t mind the rules of the game. It seems that he makes up his own rules in a game in which only he always wins. So, he kept stealing our ball even if all along, he was playing under violation. My ears hurt at how hard the referees blew their whistles. The game went on and we played along, thinking this has got to be how the game should be helplessly played. We got elbowed between the chest. The big guy’s arm would hit our player’s eye. Sometimes, we would get tripped while running for the ball. Sometimes, we have gotten accustomed to how it is.

But we beat those maritime trespassers in the fair game of hoops. Oh yes! The brown man can jump; and jump he did. We had to jump from Scarborough to Hangzhou to raise the red, white and blue with the three stars and a sun to the tune of “Lupang Hinirang”, not at sea, but right in the middle of their own mainland. Now, that’s a victory in their faces. Then, yao Ming just had to lay his head down. Hey, I think our athletes beat actual military officers, because from wat I know, their athletes are really soldiers whose assignments are to train in sports to ensure victories in Olympics and the like. , Maybe, we should just settle the territorial issue with a game of basketball on a court on one of their man-made islands.

Yeah, yeah, in the medal tally, they’re still the champion with a great deal of distance away from the second placer, Japan, and the Philippines on the 17th spot. But, none of that matters anymore, because we beat them bad on basketball, the real Filipino national sport. The cherry on top is after beating |China, the Philippines beat Jordan. Yeah, I know, it’s Jordan, the nation, not Michael. But still, it just sounds good to say, Gilas Pilipinas beat Jordan.

We also scored another victory, one that I thought was already a losing battle going down to the dogs. Confidential funds which would have been allotted to the Office of the Vice President (the Vice President being Sarah Duterte) DepEd (the DepEd Secretary being Sarah Duterte again) habe been removed and will be realigned to safeguarding the West Philippine Sea. Raise the flag and play the national anthem for the congressmen who decided on this removal. Other agencies were denied confidential funds were Department of Agriculture (the DA Secretary being the President Bongbong Marcos himself), and DFA and DICT. Billions of pesos were snatched from the overconfident passing of the ball to expenditures which would have been free from audit, and were undeniably questionable. What do DepED and DA need confidential funds for? Are they planning to spy on plants and pupils? In several occasions, the Vice President gave some examples of accomplishments of the confidential fund, but they were so remotely removed from the mandate of the Department of Education which is education. Education does not involve prevention of child abuse and child pornography. Yes, those are noble endeavors, but there are agencies mandated to do those tasks.

So, much to the chagrin of senators who eagerly voted for the approval of the confidential funds despite Sen. Hontiveros’ sensible expositions. It has become obvious that an overwhelming majority of the currently serving senators make decisions based on returning past favors and /or friendships, and not for the sake of the Filipino people, for the prudent utilization of national resources or even logic and common sense. It makes a Filipino citizen wonder how did these honorable legislators land on those positions anyway. But on the other hand, a majority of our fellow countrymen really did vote for them, so, they must like how they serve in the government. So, we just have to respect that. Thank God for sensible congressmen.

I have actually given up in hoping that somehow those questionable funds be disapproved. But what do you know? Life is full of surprises. I just pray that they really go to the security of our maritime waters over on the west side.

However, as we guard our own borders, somewhere else in the world, a nation’s borders have been viciously and violently breached. Pray for Israel.

Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.”