No longer watching basketball

Batas Mauricio .

AT the crucial moments of the fight on Sunday at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines between the UP Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo Blue Eagles, my daughter, lawyer Luisa Mauricio, tried very hard to bulldoze me into watching the game with her although I repeatedly told her I am no longer interested to even just throw one fleeting glimpse at the TV set.

Luisa and I, and my wife (former Judge Angelina Mauricio), are all products of the University of the Philippines, but, for quite some time now, I lost interest in any basketball game, not only at the UAAP, but in all other leagues as well.

The reason? The evidence is quite compelling and could no longer be simply brushed under the rug, that the primary reason why there are sports competitions in the first place–to instill in the hearts, minds, and souls, and character, of all athletes gentlemanly behavior and good manners and right conduct before, during, and after each game–has ceased to be the concern of the athletes, the institutions they represent, and even their alumni.

I have long voiced out this kind of a sentiment against the UAAP and other sports competitions. This was, for example, what I wrote in September 2014:  “I said it before, and I will say it again: we should immediately disband the existing collegiate basketball associations among colleges and universities in Metro Manila, notably the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) and the… UAAP.

“The NCAA and UAAP games are meant to develop sportsmanship, camaraderie, and turn students into well-rounded citizens. Yet, it is clear that these games have become fertile training grounds for selfishness and self-glorification, where victory should be achieved at all cost. The money that schools have been spending on these games are clearly wasted, and should now be channeled to more productive endeavors.

“The bigger question here is this: why are our students and athletes behaving rudely? If one looks closely enough, lack of disciple and unruly behavior are no longer the monopoly of student-athletes…

“More and more of our present day students across the country have become wayward likewise, whether male or female. Indeed, part of this problem could be attributed to a breakdown of school discipline.

 “(This) breakdown on the other hand could be traced back to the removal of subjects like religion and good manners and right conduct from their curriculum, and to the castration, as it were, of the power of teachers and administrators to impose discipline on account of laws like the Juvenile Justice Law which punishes disciplinary measures with stiff penalties.

“Come to think of it, however, the bigger part of the problem actually is caused by a family environment where the father and mother themselves lack discipline and moral moorings, where children are no longer taught about the fear and love of God but, owing to their exposure to visual and online media, imbibe instead views, perceptions, and conduct that are often disrespectful, violent, immoral and downright evil…”

***

 Johannes Organo Comia is one Grab Philippines driver who lives up to a code of prompt service, untainted honesty, and unadulterated truth.

On Sept. 24, 2019, he was the Grab driver that responded to my request for a ride.

He was driving smoothly, enough to send me to a short nap. At the NAIA Terminal 2 Departure Area, I got down, got my luggages, and after paying, went inside the terminal to check in.

It was at that point that I realised that my clutch bag containing my IDs and cards, and, of course, my money for the trip, was not with me, and may have fallen inside the car. I immediately called Johannes through his phone and explained my predicament.

Before I finished, he said “Yes,” my clutch bag was found by him, and he was just trying to call me to return it. He then volunteered to come back to NAIA T 2. Wow. Was I really glad to receive my bag from him. Thank God in His Name of Jesus, Amen!

Lack of discipline among many Filipino drivers as the real reason why Metro Manila is currently experiencing its most harrowing episodes in traffic management was the prime topic of the discussion that I had with Johannes Organo Comita, a Grab Philippines driver who returned to me my clutch bag that I left in his car.

According to Johannes, many Filipino drivers have become too ill-mannered and selfish, wanting to always be ahead of all other drivers on the road. No one want to be in line and wait for their turns anymore, so that their cutting lanes every so often contribute heavily to the worsening of the traffic situation, at any given time.

Johannes claimed that while he himself had worked overseas for quite some time, he never saw the kind of rude and bad mannered, and totally greedy style of, driving he is now seeing among many of his colleagues on the road. This is the reason why, he said, he does not agree when foreigners say Filipinos are a bunch of good people. “Can someone who is good be lacking in self-discipline?” he asks.

What could have caused this malady, I asked Johannes Organo Comia. Well, I wasn’t surprised when he was unable to give any answer. I told him there is one reason for this: it is the devil which is now in control of a great number of Filipinos today, because they no longer have any training and instruction on the Word of God, disabling them from obeying His commands. Johannes could only manage to smile at what I said.

E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com, mmauriciojr111@gmail.com