(15)
The Best & The Brightest
(revised 23 April 2006)

We Filipinos have plenty of those.

We beat the Americans and British in their own language in public speaking and debates.

We re-invented the cell phone into an ubiquitous, practical means of communication.

We have many very beautiful women for a small country. Some of them have won international beauty contests: Miss Universe, Miss International.

We have the greatest poem of martyrdom in the world: 'Adios, Patria Adorada' by Jose Rizal.

We are the whale shark capital of the world: visit Sorsogon or Albay.

We have the poem that created a miracle in US Congress in 1905: The Americans would not allow the eventual self-governing of the Filipinos until one of them read aloud Rizal’s 'Adios, Patria Adorada.' They could not deny his sublime thoughts, superb language, - and it was only in an English translation, not a very good one at that.

We have the First Asian Great Soul: Jose Rizal. His campaign for social change in the Philippines and in Europe using non-violent methods predated Mahatma 'Great Soul' Gandhi by 22 years!

We invented People Power, in 1986, ousting a dictator. We re-invented it in 2001, ousting a corrupt and incompetent leader. After 1986, many countries liberated themselves from tyranny using little or no bloodshed. And it would not be farfetched to say that the earthquake of People Power was what toppled the monolithic structure called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Remember the USSR?

We have the most beautiful volcano in the world: Mayon, in Albay. It has perfect symmetry. Mt Fuji is beautiful, but it's boring, monotonous. Mayon is captivating and often hides her face, like a beautiful woman does. Mt Fuji hardly speaks, like a woman who has nothing interesting to say. Mayon is fiery and speaks her mind, all the more becoming more interesting to pay attention to, to love.

We have the most stunning rice terraces in the world, in Ifugao Province, Northern Luzon. All rice terraces are what the Unesco says they are: 'a landscape of great beauty that expresses the harmony between humankind and the environment.' But those of the Philippines are unsurpassed for being picture-perfect. If they were a woman, what entices people is the sex appeal.

We have the strongest natural fiber in the world: abaca.

We have the most diverse tropical rainforest. Our dipterocarp trees are much sought-after in the international market, what is known as Philippine mahogany: apitong, bagtikan, tangile, guijo, yakal, lauan.

We have the mot diverse sea life in our coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is so-called because of its sheer size (area), but in biodiversity, it cannot compete with ours because it is in a temperate region and only the tropics can host so much diversity in plant and animal life.

We are the #1 producer of coconuts in the world.

We have some of the most beautiful species of fish in the world.

We have fireflies. Do you know what fireflies are? They are little fairies.

We have the most delicious mango in the world, because of our geographical location, because of the soil.

We are the most hospitable Asians. Fr James B Reuter calls us 'the most lovable people in the world.' We are. (2nd sentence added 1 June 2006).

We are the most peaceful Asians.

We have many delicious fruits that are inexpensive: mango, banana, durian, rambutan, lanzones, duhat, santol, starapple, tamarind, papaya, watermelon, melon, jackfruit, pomelo,

We are rich (still) in natural resources: fish & shellfish, wildlife, wild plants, gold, natural gas, edible frogs, field crabs, bamboo, countless herbs for medicinal purposes, disease-resistant plants, tourist spots, plenty of sunshine, plenty of water - many countries don't have these.

We have some of the best athletes in Asia and the world, where height is not an advantage: billiards, bowling, boxing, golf, lawn tennis, swimming, marathon, chess, karate, cycling, fencing, rowing, gymnastics etc.

We have some of the best computer programmers in the world. That explains the world-class animation we are seeing right now in our telenovelas.

We have no divorce law. Do you know what that means? Society is protecting the women from being made toys of men of pleasure.

We have a beautiful tradition of respect for the elders. That means we value experience, knowledge handed down from generation to generation.

We are the most resilient of all races in the world – how else could we survive the oil crisis repeatedly?

And what do we do to some wise guys (or gals) who would be king (or queen)? We suffer fools gladly!

15 April 2006