INSIDE SPORTS: BAUTISTA'S LOSS CUTS DEEP INTO THE FILIPINO PSYCHE
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 16 Aug 2007
Our victorious World Cup boxing team returns home yesteray morning to be embraced by a grateful nation, proud of their spectacular achievements against the warriors of Mexico at the Arco Arena in Sacramento last Sunday.
Perhaps we should embrace the fallen young gladiator Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista more than any of the winners because it is this 21 year old who bears the deepest pain not of the vicious blows he suffered in the fight against the menacing Daniel Ponce De Leon but rather of the feeling that he let us all down. He didn’t.
The disappointment cut deep, so deep in fact that the priest at St, Paul’s parish in Laging Handa, Quezon City where we attended mass hours after the World Cup coverage on ABS-CBN was over, made reference to Boom Boom’s loss. There was a tinge of pain in the voices of all those who spoke to us and in some ways consoled us over the defeat of a young man whom we had long admired and for whom our esteemed friend Tony Aldeguer had the highest hopes.
The defeat was, in some respects brutal. This aggravated the hurt of all those who cared. But we can take refuge in the fact that Bautista is young and there are more than enough years ahead of him to learn his lessons – and learn them well because he has teachers who care beyond the ordinary.
President Arroyo indeed set a glowing example to all of us when she said “Boom Boom’s loss is but a temporary setback, and one he will rise from with greater strength and determination.” They were comforting words coming as they did from a leader who is also a mother and feels the anguish that young men in particular,suffer.
To even step into the ring against a champion of the caliber of Ponce De Leon and try to take him on blow for blow may have, on hindsight, been a gamble that Bautista alone decided on, in the exuberance of his youthful inexperience. That Bautista climbed to the top spot as mandatory challenger in a division brimming with incredible talent says a lot for the kid from Candijay.
Life in the ring is very much like life outside, where we all savor our victories and have to contend with our fair share of defeats. But the strength of the Filipino is his inherent ability to fight back, never to give up. There may be some who may wish to add to the torment of this fine young man by their comments. But we would rather that we live by the remarkable virtues of the Filipino and that is to reach out and lend a helping hand to someone who is down because when he rises again – as we are sure Bautista will – we can all take pride in the fact that we shared in his eventual redemption.
Let us welcome our heroes with all our hearts and salute them for their courage and their skill, never forgetting that this was Team Philippines. They represented all of us and shared the glory of victory with a nation desperately searching for moments of pride and joy. And let us never forget those who fought for our country and people just like the gallant marines in Mindanao who lost their lives in defense of the motherland.
We have an obligation to hail their heroism and their sacrifice just as we must feel a compelling need to welcome Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and embrace him with all the members of Team Philippines.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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