Si Juan dela Cruz sa entablado ng mundo

(Speech nako, activity sa Filipino 22!)


Kilalanin si Juan dela Cruz. Balat ay kulay-kayumanggi. Tahana’y sa munting bahay-kubo na napapaligiran ng halimuyak ng sampaguita. Katawa’y nakabalot sa kanyang mahiblang barong-tagalog. Sipag at tiyaga’y kahambing ng ‘sang kalabaw. Nagkamulat na mahirap kaya’t di’ naninibago sa karukhaan. Buhay niya: isang kahig, isang tuka! Gayunpaman, sa kabila ng kahirapang kinasasadlakan, si Juan ay tunay na hinahangaan ng buong mundo. Sa anumang larangan – palakasan, musika at marami pang iba – siya’y namamayagpag. Siya’y tanyag sa buong mundo – sapagkat si Juan ay isang PILIPINO!

Mga minamahal kong kaibigan at kababayan, bilang pambungad, pahintulutan niyo akong ibuhos ang aking malugod na pagbati sa inyong lahat ng isang MAGANDANG HAPON!

Ako’y naririto sa inyong harapan upang ipabatid na ang Juan dela Cruz na patuloy na inaabot ang tugatog ng katanyagan sa pandaigdigang entablado ay salamin ng bawat Pilipino. Ito’y nangangahulugan lamang na sa bawat isa sa atin nananalaytay ang dugo ni Juan dela Cruz – ang Juan na maaaring maging susunod na Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao; ang inaasahang susunod sa mga yapak ng matagumpay na mang-aawit na sina Charice Pempengco at Arnel Pineda; ang ipinagdarasal na magmamana at susungkit ng korona matapos kay Maria Venus Raj; ang magpapatuloy sa kabayanihan ni Efren Peñaflorida; at ang tutulad sa sinibak na pulis na si Rolando Mendoza? Nawa’y huwag naman sana!

Nagimbal nga hindi lamang ang bansa kundi maging ang apat na sulok ng mundo matapos ng masaklap at kahindik-hindik na hostage crisis na kinasangkutan ni dating Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza at ng ilang mga dayuhang nais lamang maglibang dito sa ating bansa. Isang kaganapang nauwi sa isang madugong larawan. Isang nakapanlulumong trahedya na naghatid ngayon sa ating bansa sa bumabahang kahihiyan. Sa ngayon, binabato tayo ng masasakit na pintas at batikos mula sa mga dayuhan, lalo na ng Hongkong, na nakasaksi sa kapalpakan at kakulangan ng Pilipinas sa pagtugon sa nasabing insidente. Kasinglungkot ng pagkamatay ng mga sangkot, nakapandudurog-puso rin na basta-basta na lamang nilalait ng marami ang lahi ni Juan dela Cruz dahil lamang sa iisang pangyayari. Maging si Pangulong Noynoy Aquino’y hindi rin nakalusot sa pangungutya. Sa kasalukuyan, ang imahe ni Juan dela Cruz ay ang mismong mukha ni ROLANDO MENDOZA!

Mga kaibigan, hindi ko layon ang magbintang o sisihin ang kung sinuman. Ngayong wasak na ang imahen ng bayang Pilipinas, ang ninanais ko lamang ay maipabatid sa buong mundo na hindi lahat ng Pilipino ay katulad ni Mendoza. Hindi lahat ay mamamatay-tao. Hindi lahat ay pusong-bato.

Ang PILIPINO ay likas na mabuti. Sa katunayan, bantog ang mga Pilipino sa kanilang katangiang tumanggap ng mga panauhin na para bagang sariling mga kaanak lamang. Siya’y mapagmahal at maunawa. Kabiyak ng kanyang takot sa Diyos, nagsusumikap siya upang maabot ang kanyang mga pangarap. Sa kabila ng mga balakid sa buhay, hindi namamatay ang alab ng kanyang pagpupursige, bagkus, lalo pa siyang nauudyok na magsumikap at magtiyaga alang-alang sa kanyang mga pinaninindigang prinsipyo sa buhay. Gayon nga’y nagawang masungkit nina Pacquiao, Pempengco, Pineda, Raj, Peñaflorida at marami pang matagumpay na Pilipino ang kanilang mga pangarap sa buhay kupkop ang mga natatanging katangiang PILIPINO!

Ngayon, mula sa karagatan ng kahihiyan, umahon tayo! Huwag tayong magpagapi sa agos ng rumaragasang suklam ng mundo. Mapait man ang sinapit ng mga biktima, kasuklam-suklam man ang ginawa ni Mendoza, bumangon tayo dala ang mga napulot na aral! Malabo mang maghilom ang sugat, subukan nating itayo ang nawasak na larawan ng Pilipinas at muling ibandila ang pangalan nito sa buong daigdig! Mahirap man ilibing sa limot ang trahedya, kumapit pa rin tayo sa positibong banda. Kumapit tayo sa mga mabubuting katangian ni Juan na nagdala sa atin sa pandaigdigang entablado.

Sa kasagsagan ng mga pangyayari, ito ang pangarap ko: na sana’y makitang muli ng mundo ang Pilipino sa larawan ng isang TUNAY NA PILIPINO – at tuluyang maaninag muli si Juan dela Cruz sa tinitingalang entablado ng mundo!

Maraming salamat! Pagpalain nawa tayong lahat!

Coming to terms with the changes

This is written FRIDAY, September 10, 2010 when I get to read again my previous "ON THAT BENCH" article simply out of mere boredom & ; loneliness.

Okay. Roughly three months ago, before classes opened, my brain was into a lot of imagining how going into college would turn out. I didn't have any idea to what college life would hurl at me, either sweet cotton candies directly on my salivating mouth or rough, hard stones aimed at my forehead. I didn't know. And it sent me that peculiar shiver down my spines. I was afraid of the unknown. I was afraid of COLLEGE!

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying now that COLLEGE is not that frightening and difficult afterall. With all honesty, college still terrifies me (in a major, major way!) and still gives me random moments when I could just pause and all of a sudden say: "samuk! lisura pud aning college uy! maypang high school sauna."

Well, it still is September afterall, barely 3 months since I first set foot on college's groounds. I still don't have any right to tell whether college is the COTTON CANDY or the HARD STONE that would hit any newbie here in college. But one thing is for sure: everything here in college is just the result of one's OWN determination and will. You actually reap what you sow, unlike in HS when everything seemed to be plainly spoon-fed (But I so love HS. I miss HS! huhuhu).

About coping up with college?! NOT EASY! You'd ask me now if I'm already fully-adjusted to it? LOL. I still certainly have a lot of "adjustments" to do other than the nosebleed-inducing adjustments we're making in accounting. Diverse people, demanding subjects, new teachers with *nakaka-OMG!* approach of teaching, very limited resource (specifically kanang KWARTA!) and how to budget allowance, paying visit to my hometown every weekends, totally boring life in the boarding house, housekeeping and stuffs--all of these and more are just part of my adjustments-to-do list! And so far, I think I'm bit by bit doing it with success (roll-eyes) !

About my grades?! Hmmm. Shaky, yet so far, I'm doing good! 'B' is my lowest letter grade in my midterm grades (accounting, of course, samok nga subject uy! hehehe). I just pray that everything would go smooth-sailing for the next weeks, months, and years until.... you know na!

About missing high school? Indeed the most difficult! Uhm (teary-eyed), I just keep on reminiscing the past, on excavating memories, on resurfacing the youthfulness of my HS life, and keep on praying, for I know that a time will come when the PAST would eventually just become a blurred vision in our memories. And I don't want that to happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed: I want everyone to stay in my memory, to remember them as if it was just like yesterday. I miss the ISATONiX & my other former high school classmates; my teachers and mentors; the school guards and the frequent squabbles with them; the Mondays/Fridays flag ceremonies and Maam Chico's motherly rantings; the CATs' snappy commands and the elements' as-if-I-care response; Pogi's tempuras, fish balls, manggang hilaw and his wife; the quarterly settlement of clearances including proper haircut check-ups; the foodstuffs sold in the canteen; the many attempted ghost-huntings; the benches; the habitual chitchats, gossiping, teasing, fighting, cleaning (or maybe later), running, playing, giggling, dancing, singing, laughing, and more laughing plus more laughing ending up to more laughing --- I just miss 'em all! As in MAJOR MAJOR missing 'em all!

***

Anyways (still teary-eyed), in my three-month long college life, a lot has changed. I'm around good people here in college. Although they still intimidate me, I somehow could manage to squeeze through my wild, noisy block, block ACA! I was at first timid whenever I'm with the group knowing that we're only about five people who came from 'Nat'l High Schools', with the rest coming from semi-private or private schools (but then, who cares?). I'm also happy to befriend some XUHSians and other private-school-groomed students whom I initially thought were "maarte and all" but contrarily proved to be friendly and happy to be with! The teachers as well are nice. However, I don't know if I'd ever find a liking to our thick, unfriendly books (especially BIOLOGY)! Whoah!

Everything is just so unpredictable here. Life just go and continue under the sun with so many surprises. Personally, I'm still endeavoring to seek for them, for the surprises that could be beneficially life-changing. And in the process, I am overwhelmingly humbled and thankful for everything that has been endowed with me by the Almighty. With a thinking like this, I'll always be eager and braced up, not just to face life, but also to live life!

Ad majorem dei gloriam!

***

P.S. #1: I hope you find my writing improved! Hehehehe.We keep on writing compositions, essays and the like in our English class. =)

P.S. #2: It's utterly funny to think how long it took me just coming to terms with the changes. "KOLEHIYO NA MAN DIAY KO! LOL!" =)