President Rodrigo Duterte will be watching one of the games
of the Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in
China next month.
That is indeed a first for a country that
considers basketball as its national pastime.
But it wasn’t his inspiring decision that
elicited reactions from some people. It was his negative remarks on the team’s
chances which he said bluntly was slim ranged against teams like Italy which he
considers have taller and heftier players. But he showed optimism with the
country’s chances against China.
Some people in the sporting community took his
remarks as insulting to the national team. Again, the narrow mindedness of some
individuals are really getting into play merely for the sake of opposing.
President Duterte, many did not know, has been
supportive to basketball and other sporting endeavors even during his term as
Mayor of Davao City. One of the enduring legacies is the annual sports
activities of the Kadayawan Festival in the month of August which he never
fails to grace despite his hectic schedule.
The President also watched the Gilas’ game
against France in the World Cup Qualifiers taking time out of his presidential
duties to give an inspiring presence to the team. He was in Palarong Pambansa
probably more than any President was.
So if he speaks his heart out, take that as no
insult but a grain of salt. Take that as a motivation to win and not to sink
deeper in the quagmire of defeatist attitude and of being a hard loser, whether
in sports or politics.
