No one is entitled to be ignorant

 “Living is easy with eyes closed.”

―John Lennon

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WAS it a coincidence?

Shortly after news spread like a prairie fire that the United States government has formally requested the extradition of doomsday soothsayer Apollo Quiboloy, a series of natural calamities unraveled in the Philippines?

Tropical depressions Maymay, Luis, Habagat and magnitude 5.8 struck off western Philippines in Oriental Mindoro and tremor could be felt in Manila, volcanic eruptions. Coincidence, huh?

Of course, only fools will believe Quiboloy’s extradition to the United States will unleash a series of morbid disasters “as a retaliatory punishment from heaven.” It’s like believing hook, line, and sinker every weird idea that comes out of the mouth of Robin Padilla in the impeachment trial.

On the other hand, if we revisit the views of some ancient thinkers such as Plutarch and the Stoics who defended divination and traditional religious practices, we might be misled to believe Quiboloy’s “divine powers.”

Even the famed Seneca the Younger pragmatically argued for using superstitious awe to inspire moral behavior, while most major Western philosophers opposed superstition.

 

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This Greek Platonist philosopher Plutarch (c.46 – c.120 CE) mistrusted pure human reason alone and believed that God gave direct revelations to humans. Like Quiboloy, Plutarch defended popular oracles, prophecy, and traditional religious myths as containers of hidden truth.

Also, the Stoics of Ancient Greece and Rome like Chrysippus argued that divination, omens, and astrology were real. They believed the universe is completely connected, meaning signs of the future can logically exist, a view many critics later dismissed as mere superstition.

Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BCE – 65 CE) knew that ordinary people struggled to follow pure reason to find happiness. To fight human greed and cruelty, he suggested binding people with a "superstitious reverence for virtue" so they would love and protect the good even without deep logical proof.

Seventy-six-year-old Quiboloy once said he stopped the earthquake in Mindanao.

“I said, ‘Earthquake, stop!’ And it did,” the Appointed Son of God boasted. “You have me to thank for because if I didn’t command the earthquake to stop, many of your homes would have been destroyed and you would have died.”

Esquire Magazine reported that stopping earthquakes is not the only miraculous feat Quiboloy claims to have done in the past. He has even defeated Satan.

 

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“Lucifer is your father,” says Quiboloy in a televised segment of his show. “I defeated him here. You couldn’t defeat him because he is your father and he holds you by the neck.”

The Owner of the Universe was answering a comment from a member of a different sect, challenging him to a religious debate.

“Why should I debate with you? I am the Way. You will never go to heaven if you don’t go through me. How could I debate with you when I own your souls?”

“The official coming of the Son of God was on April 13, 2005,” proclaimed Quiboloy to his sea of followers. It was the date when God appointed him “Christ on Earth.”

Being the second coming of Christ on Earth seems to have a lot of perks, too. Quiboloy lives in a holy site he calls Prayer Mountain, a sprawling estate with a five-bedroom mansion, carefully manicured lawns, and super-tight security.

Although people may visit the complex, you have to secure an appointment from Jose Maria College (a school Quiboloy owns) and then pay a maintenance fee of P100.

Martin Luther King Jr once warned: “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Harlan Ellison added: “You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”

From Bram Stoker, Dracula: “Oh, my dear, if you only knew how strange is the matter regarding which I am here, it is you who would laugh. I have learned not to think little of any one's belief, no matter how strange it may be. I have tried to keep an open mind, and it is not the ordinary things of life that could close it, but the strange things, the extraordinary things, the things that make one doubt if they be mad or sane.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

‘Impeachment fatigue’ diverts Pinoys’ focus to Alex Eala

“I am a bear of very little brain, and long words bother me.”

 —Winnie The Poh

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

MANY Filipinos who hate complications in life and those who can no longer tolerate what’s going on in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, have shifted their attention to Alex Eala’s phenomenal exploits in tennis.

There is still a broad number of sectors that regularly follow the impeachment trial while at the same time watch Eala, 21, dismantle highly regarded WTA rivals in major tournaments from Berlin to Washington D.C. and now Toronto, but many Filipinos apparently have lost interest in politics and are now hyper focused on tennis.

Tennis, or sports in general, has become the Filipinos’ preferred pastime because it offers exciting entertainment, strong social connections, and emotional excitement that help us relax and escape daily stress, especially if we don’t like the way Robin Padilla and Imee Marcos behave during the trial.

 

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Games like tennis have real suspense and uncertain endings that keep viewers on the edge of their seats, unlike scripted shows and the melodrama of the Cayetano brother and sister.

Focusing completely on a game every time Eala advanced in the round in any tournament rather than in political bickering, like what is happening in the impeachment trial, helps us lose track of time and forget about work or personal worries.

It all started when lawyers from both camps—the defense and prosecutors—continued to treat the entire proceeding as a judicial process resulting in lengthy presentation of evidence and people got bored and experienced the so-called “impeachment fatigue.”

When we are bored, our brains activate the default mode network, which triggers mind-wandering, physical restlessness, and a strong urge to find new activities.

And Alex Eala became the best alternative.

 

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It was Ilonggo former Senate president Franklin “Franlk” Drilon who first waved the red flag when he exhorted the Senate impeachment court to take a firmer hand in managing the vice president’s trial, saying the proceedings have become too drawn out and risk losing public interest.

Drilon had warned there was already “impeachment fatigue” just two weeks into the trial.

“I call on the leadership of the Senate to exercise more authority, and control the way the proceedings go,” said Drilon.

We agree with the highly esteemed Iloilo leader that legal minds in the trial have treated the impeachment trial like an ordinary court case, resulting in lengthy presentations of evidence that could have been shortened.

“The tendency of the lawyers is to treat the entire proceeding as a judicial process, and therefore go to length,” he bemoaned.

 

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Why is it that sometimes protagonists in the impeachment trial don’t communicate even if they talk?

The lack of good conversation occurs even in ordinary setting because we sometimes take conversational ability for granted.

We think that some people have either been given the gift of gab or they haven't.

The truth is that conversation is an art. Like any other artistic ability, it requires training and discipline.

And practice improves it. So does being constantly aware of where conversational mistakes can be made.

Asking ourselves questions is actually a great help: What are we talking about? With whom are we conversing? Under what circumstances is the conversation taking place?

Why are we engaged in this conversation? How should we say what's on our mind? When should certain things be said?

In other words, conversation has to have a solid foundation.

We must take a cue from Winnie The Poh who once sobbed that “I am a bear of very little brain, and long words bother me.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

It’s not the title Eala won, it's the rivals she toppled

“Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.”

—BILLIE JEAN KING

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

ANYBODY can win the Mubadala DC Open, a tennis tournament, which, in terms of prestige, sits below the four Grand Slam tournaments: Wimbledon, The US Open, The French Open, The Australian Open.

But not all tennis players in the world can beat truly four world class Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) behemoths en route to capturing the Mubadala DC Open, recognized as the only combined ATP 500 and WTA 500 joint event globally, held annually at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C.

Which was what Pinay phenom, Alexandra “Alex” Eala did.

Because of the quality of rivals Eala, 21, mowed down to become the first Filipino to bring home the 57-year-old tournament and the first joint-500-level event on the ATP and WTA tours, it didn’t matter what kind of tournament she won.

What matters most is Eala will now be remembered in history as having pulverized Olympic heroine Zheng Qinwen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the round of 32.

China’s Qinwen, 23, is the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold medalist in women's singles tennis who defeated Croatia's Donna Vekic 6–2, 6–3 to become the first Asian tennis player to ever win an Olympic gold medal in singles.

 

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What matters most is Eala upset defending champion, Quebec-born 23-year-old half-Filipina, Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 7-6(1) in the second round.

What matters most is Eala also crushed world no. 10 Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals (her third win over the 31-year-old Ukrainian star).

What matters most is Eala trounced four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 28, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. For many Filipino tennis fans, the dangerous Japanese needs no further introduction.

What matters most is Eala outgunned 32-year-old two-time Mubadala DC Open queen Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, in the final on August 3.

It’s hard to imagine how a player like Eala, rated no. 28 in WTA rankings, was able to wreck the aforementioned WTA superstars in one tournament one after another to seize her new career-high rank.

Climbing from No. 28 last week, Eala has now gained 500 ranking points from her maiden Tour-level title to raise her total points from 1,666 to 2,106.

 

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Below we chose only four of the few Filipino underdogs like Alex Eala who scored scintillating upsets and shook the world of sports:

1.     Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno

2.     Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco

3.     Efren “Bata” Reyes

4.     Carlos “Caloy” Yulo

NEPOMUCENO. Honored by the Guinness Book of World Records four times, Nepomuceno, 69, carries three unbroken records: 1. The youngest World Bowling Champion at 19 years old; 2. The most world crowns in three different decades; 3. Winning the most worldwide titles in a career, establishing this record in 2007 with 118 titles then in 2013 with 124 titles. In 2019, Paeng eclipsed his own record with 133 titles. The Quezon City-born bowler is the only athlete who has won bowling titles in six succeeding decades: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

VELASCO. Onyok, 52, is one of the three Filipino heroes in the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games winning the gold medal the 48 kg (light flyweight) by whipping Thailand’s Pramuansak Phosuwan, 11-9.

Onyok’s biggest achievement was in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games where he narrowly missed the gold medal in the 48 kg after losing to Bulgaria’s Daniel Petrov Bojilov, 6-19, to claim the silver medal.

Onyok was impressive on his way to the final, blasting Taiwan’s Chih-Hsiu Tsai by RSC (referee stop the contest) a 2:27 in the first round; destroying the dreaded Cuban Yosvani Aguilera (Cuba), 14–5, blanking Morocco’s Hamid Berhili, 20–10; and shaming the multi-titled Spaniard Rafael Lozano, 22–10.

 

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REYES. Bata, 71, captured the billiard community’s imagination when he rolled past Taiwanese Chang Hao-ping, 17-8, in the 1999 World Pool Championship in Cardiff, Wales at 49 to pocket the $60,000 top prize.

On his way to the final, Reyes subdued nemesis Germany's Ralf Souquet, 11–7, and Japan's Akikumo Toshikawa, 11–9. He survived the tournament’s toughest test versus Jimmy White, burying a brilliant kick shot on the 2-ball before clearing the table.

In the semifinal, Reyes overcame an early 3–1 deficit against compatriot, his kumpadre Francisco "Django" Bustamante by winning seven racks in a row for a dominant 11–4 victory.

YULO. Who can forget Caloy’s record-breaking two-gold haul in gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics? In ruling the men's floor exercise and vault, Caloy, 26, became the first Filipino male athlete and the second Filipino overall to win an Olympic gold medal.

Like many gymnastics stars before him, diminutive Yulo took to the sport naturally. Yulo, who hails from Malate, Manila, and his grandfather, Rodrigo Frisco, went to a Manila public park when he was seven years old.

While his grandfather looked on, Yulo, who now resides in his property Tagaytay City, took an interest in a young gymnast practicing in the park, mimicking his moves with such ease that Frisco decided to take his grandson to a gymnastics class with coach Rodrigo Ortero at the Rizal Memorial Complex.

Caloy’s potential soon caught the attention of Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion-Norton. When the gymnast was 16, she facilitated Yulo’s move to Tokyo to train under Munehiro Kugimiya years later.

And the rest is history.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Rep. Jojo Ang walks free

“It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.”

—Voltaire

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THOSE who were expecting Uswag Ilonggo party-list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang to spend time in jail indefinitely after being charged with 14 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan were disappointed when he walked free after posting a P90,000 bail in the court’s Third Division on July 27.

Ang, 49, will have to shell out additional P1.170 million of the total P1.260 million bail for the 14 counts to avoid incarceration.

Since the Iloilo solon wasn’t charged with plunder (Republic Act No. 7080), which is a non-bailable offense if the evidence of guilt is strong and the total ill-gotten wealth reaches P50 million or more, he couldn’t be jailed interminably even after a warrant of arrest was issued against him.

The Office of the Ombudsman slapped Ang with 14 counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan on July 25 over his alleged links to a construction firm.

According to Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, Ang was paid nearly P199 million from a construction firm he holds a stake after it secured P214-million worth of contracts from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

 

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Many of those who wished to see Ang spend time in jail were critics of former Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas, Ang’s political hierophant, who wanted to link Treñas to Ang’s meteoric ascension to power.

In other words, they wanted to “hurt” Treñas more than they wanted to hurt the embattled solon.

Critics of the retired political leader have seen Ang’s dilemma as a golden opportunity to take potshots at Treñas and the administration of his daughter, Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Maria Lourdes Sarabia Treñas-Chu.

They wanted to hit three birds with one stone thinking a bad or negative issue for one is a bad or negative issue for all.

The problem is Treñas has been reticent about Ang’s predicament and seemed not inclined to join the fray whether to decry his protégé’s misfortune or defend him.

Detractors have ribbed him for his silence, but the former city mayor remained unfazed.

When Ang’s alleged involvement in the flood control project scandal became known after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s “mahiya naman kayor” SONA last year, Treñas didn’t know what hit the party-list party he had been cultivating since 2019.

 

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In silence, Treñas, of course, has also been hurting.

Uswag Ilonggo partylist, after all, is his brainchild and he probably never thought the graft cases Ang is facing today would one day bring dishonor and shame not only to his propitious party-list but also to the City of Iloilo.

As much as possible, with the latest development, Treñas and his mayor daughter probably have been wanting to distance themselves from the beleaguered congressman, whose political future may have been shattered by the graft charges even if he will be exonerated.

Ang is facing alleged violations of Section 3 (h) of Republic act No. 3019, which prohibits public officers to “have direct or indirect financial interest in any business, contract, or transaction.”

“My conscience is clear. I am confident that I will be able to clear my name soon. My resolve for the truth to come out is stronger and clearer,” Ang had said.

“In my three years in public service, I have never used my position in the government for my own interest and to profit in any way.”

Ang is, of course, presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)