Another triumph
over Mexico

I wanted to kick myself when I woke up very late and found out that the much-awaited Viloria-Aguirre fight in Las Vegas was already over, and that young Brian Viloria had managed to beat again another of Mexico's champion boxers. Well, the lad was really a 4-1 favorite before the match, so it should not have been a big surprise.

***

What was surprising was how his opponent, Jose Antonio Aguirre, also managed to hold his own, teaching Brian a lesson in assessing the ability of his foe. We, as Filipinos, are happy, though, that it was a unanimous decision, even if it was not the knockout that Viloria obviously meant to achieve in the early rounds. It was only when he realized that he was up against a cunning fighter did he get his mind to focus more on defeating him than on seeking the decisive knockout he had dealt most of his previous opponents.

***

Anyway, I was glad that I only saw a replay of the match last night. Watching it live would have been a more tension-filled experience than watching Manny Pacquiao beat up Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center last month. But looking at the stadium, the crowd, and the ring where the fighters staged their battle, gave a strong sense of deja vu. I felt as if I were again at that vantage area, nervously praying for Pacquiao, shouting his name with all the other Pinoys there, waving our flaglets, and looking daggers at the Mexicans chattering in their own brand of Spanish as they, too, cheered their boy.

***

But one of the pluses in watching yesterday's bout was listening to Manny Pacquiao acting like an annotator himself, even if his descriptions were mostly limited to "Groggy na si Aguirre", "Ma-utak si Brian" or "Maganda yung hook ni Viloria". But he showed his boxing savvy when he predicted, at about the sixth or seventh round, I think, that Viloria would win by decision. And yes, it was nice to see our boxer (even if he is now a U.S. citizen) win without any serious injury, with his boyish face still smiling and dimpling, while his opponent - who gamely gave him a thumbs-up sign later - had to keep wiping a bloody nose. Cheers to our boxers! They give us and our countrymen hope, wherever they are.

***

Muntinlupa has started it. Will other Greater Manila area cities follow, and will others around the country be bold enough to do the same? The city government of Muntinlupa has directed its workers to speak English as they go about their duties. Especially asked to do so are personnel of schools, daycare centers, medical staff, and even janitors. The local government is probably concerned about reports that we are losing our edge in the race for employment abroad, because the English of our graduates has deteriorated badly.

***

Our language purists will go into conniptions upon learning that, and will mostly probably lecture us on patriotism, love of motherland, customs and traditions, etcetera, etcetera. Let them rage and storm, not even they can assure their fellow Pinoys that well-paying jobs are forthcoming, that they will no longer have to seek work in other countries within the next two, five, even ten years. As for our workers who find work in, say, the United States or the United Kingdom, they should all the more try to hone their English-speaking ability, especially if they apply as degree holders.

***

It will not be too bad for domestic workers, they can get away with pidgin English. They are not expected to do better. Last month, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, I experienced a sample of this. I could not open our hotel room with my key - the perforated ones the size of a credit card now so commonly used - and called the chambermaid, clearly a Latina, working in the next room. "Please open this with your key," I asked her. But she took my key and pushed it into the slot herself, and then twisted the knob forcefully. The door opened. Oh thank you, I told her. "How did you do that?" She smiled condescendingly. "Nothing. You just strong it". Yes, I got what she meant, and next time twisted the knob strongly. But I hoped our fellow Pinoys do not sound like that to their employers, too.

***

The story of the three-year-old boy in Silay who miraculously escaped injury after being ran over by a van, aroused a lot of interest in our readers. What I learned from Father Felix Pasquin, however, is that, although, physically unscathed, the child is suffering from trauma and cries when he sees a car. He obviously needs some kind of therapy which his parents cannot afford. Is there anybody willing to help him? Please contact Father Pasquin at the San Diego Church in Silay City.*

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