I will gush.
Our bunso Maud and I jogged around Rizal Park in Manila this morning at around 8:30. It was overcast, and I was amazed by Maud’s stamina. But that is just part of what I will gush about.
In the sixties, Manila was just Manila. There was very little of Makati, Quezon City, Caloocan, almost none of Muntinlupa, Parañaque and Las Piñas. There were no malls, no internet, no gadgets. When people wanted to savor life in the early morning, at night or in the weekends, they would usually go to Luneta, what is now known as Rizal Park. Years later, despite government’s efforts to regain its glory, Luneta fell apart. No one talked about it anymore.
When I visited Bangkok in the early 2000s, I marveled at Lumphini Park, a place dedicated to joggers and other fitness enthusiasts. When I saw it at the break of dawn, it was wall-to-wall runners. The roadways were filled with people, cars were kept at a safe distance. There were pagodas, a lagoon, gigantic shade trees like the arms of God embracing man, woman and child who gathered to delight in the breath of life in exercise. I said we will never have something like that place. I was wrong. When I jogged with Maud this morning in Luneta, I found my Lumphini in Manila. From the Quirino grandstand to the Philippine map beside Taft Avenue, the park was clean and beautiful. Move over Lumphini. I read that Rizal Park was being refurbished, little did I know that it would end up as one of the most satisfying places I would ever see.
I was in high spirits throughout the jog. “Ang ganda ng Pilipinas!” I said to caretakers, photographers, strollers while greeting them good morning. Of course they thought I was mad. When I saw a young couple toting a baby, I told them, “Look, I’m jogging with my daughter already!” And when Maud and I passed the Rizal monument, I cried out, “Dr. Rizal! The Filipino is worth dying for!” I saw the guards stand at attention with more conviction.
So there. Here’s a Filipino who has never left the country even if he had a chance to go and live in Canada. Here’s a Filipino who has attended almost every mass action to fight transgressions, from the burial march of Ninoy Aquino to the confetti rallies in the Makati central business district to the two EDSAs to the wake of Cory Aquino to the anti-pork barrel million people march in Luneta two weeks ago, a bit disgruntled by our politics. But I know that we will not only survive, we will prosper in this beautiful country of ours because we love beauty, we love life, love trees, grass, the breath of life.
An addendum: the Philippines ended up in number 67th in the list of happiest people. The metrics used included a corruption-free government, presence of social services, among other things. Of course we will end up somewhere last. But if the metric were changed to: “Are you happy in spite of external forces such as inefficient government and lack of social benefits? Are you happy just being with family and friends, enjoying your country in spite of those who would rob it blind, even if you seem powerless to stop the greed of public servants?” I’m sure the Philippines will end up in the top ten, even on top.
We are a happy country. Perhaps too happy, to the delight of sociopathic* leaders because we have a short memory, we forgive easily, we vote on the basis of winnability not ideals or potential, but that is another story. Today I will gush, for I have something to gush about: our family’s togetherness, our common love for health, fitness and dogs, our fulfillment in our careers, the beauty of our country, God’s love for us. I will gush.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder