Wish I Was There

Hooray for the three Filipinos who have climbed Mt. Everest!!! I doof my hat off to them for their courage, unwavering will to triumph and for letting the whole country share in their victory. For those who have friends (especially the Sherpas, a very hardy and brave bunch!!!) who have made climbing to the so-called roof of the world as mundane as making trips to the toilet, then you have no idea that the achievement of Leo Oracion, Erwin Emata and Romy Garduce has boosted morale among their countrymen and reaffirmed their faith that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's best. For the record, they were the first to do so and no doubt that many other climbers are waiting in the wings to try their luck.
The only blotch in the record was the controversy regarding the men's different patrons, who funded different teams, instead of pooling their resources and sending one team on different routes. It was a classic display of the proverbial Pinoy Crab Mentality where envy grips everyone when somebody is on the threshold of victory and they rush not to give the poor guy a much-needed push but to pull him down. It is sad but true, especially the way that GMA-7 and ABS-CBN competed with each other. I tell you, if dropping somebody on the summit by parachute or by chopper was allowed, the two warring networks would have done it.