Olympic showing
Media
Part of Panorama
- Title
- Olympic showing
- Creator
- Roces, Alfredo R.
- Language
- English
- Source
- Panorama Volume XX (No. 10) October 1968
- Year
- 1968
- Rights
-
- Abstract
- The Filipinos have seen in the international field of competitive performance that their best is not yet good enough
- Fulltext
- ■ The Filipinos have seen in the international field of competitive performance th at their best is not yet good enough. OLYMPIC SHOWING We have to view our per formance in the Olympics in scale; for the Philippine par ticipants on the whole did magnificently when viewed from existing national records and the past performance of the individuals themselves. It is when one pits the per formance in the Olympic scale that the Philippine par ticipation becomes puny and appears a debacle. In actual ity, one cannot expect from our athletes more than their best. We can only demand that the performance of our athletes should not fall short of the national records. In other words, we performed at the Olympics with what we can regard as our best; but in terms of scale with other nations it unfortunate ly falls far short of good. This concept of scale does not apply to sports alone. For example, we can view our relationship with the United States where every pro nouncement from the US is of significance to us, whereas the United States hardly con siders the Philippines. In Philippine elections, US sym pathy or antagonism is some what relevant, whereas for the US the Philippines is a non-sequitur to their elec tions. The Democratic party foreign policy platform, for example, mentions various countries in this region, but not the Philippines. The question of scale, that is the importance internally of something in terms within nation, and then its impor tance to another nation more powerful and more develop ed, is an aspect we should seriously consider in our role among nations. A Japanese economist brought out tfhis question with regard to the economy. In terms of Japan, he noted that trade with the Philippines represented a small percentage; whereas for the Philippines, trade with Japan represented close to 30 per cent. He opined that it 14 Panorama was extremely dangerous for a nation to have a trade re lationship beyond 50 per cent. Similarly, one could look at the question of the “brain drain,” where it is reported that one fourth of foreign doctors in the US are Fili pinos. While this figure is staggering by itself, placed in scale with our own num ber of doctors, one wonders what larger percentage it re presents to the Philippines particularly in terms of new graduates! “Things must therefore be considered in scale, one na tional and the other applied outside. In the Olympics we did badly, but looking at our own national records, we have progressed. The fact is that we have not progressed as much as other nations have; and this is because, again in terms of scale, we are not doing enough nor spending enough' for a nat i o n a 1 athletics program. Seen from this point, the Phil ippine Olympic participation was all one could expect. With regard to economics, or to foreign policy, or even the “brain drain,” this con cept of scale helps put ideas in proper perspective. — By Alfredo R. Roces, The Ma nila Times, October 25, 1968. TANTALIZING Tantalus, a son of Jupiter, was given the right of feasting with the gods and even sharing their secrets. He became unduly proud and at one time betrayed one of their secrets. As a punishment, Tan talus was placed in Tartarus and tormented with hunger and thirst. Just before his face hung a bunch of tempting fruit which ever retreated as Tantalus tried to grasp it. He stood in water to his chin, but each time he leaned to drink, this flowed away. So from the name of this tormented man comes our word tantalize. October 1968 15
- pages
- 14+