Filipinos have always been passionate. Kaya nga merong tinatawag na “Filipino Pride” kung saan pinapakita ng bawat Pilipino kung gaano nila kinakatangkilikan ang sariling atin. I even remember those days nung elementary ako na tuwing laban ni Manny Pacquiao wala kang makikitang tao sa daan. (FUN FACT: Crime rate actually goes down sa eksaktong araw kung kelan siya lumalaban.) So we know how supportive Filipinos are when they take pride or love something. And that is still true even to this day. Walang tapat ‘yung mga KPOP stars or Hollywood celebrities IF the Filos decide to support something or someone locally.
Another thing na kinagigiliwan ng mga Pilipino ay ang mga piyesta or events. As a kid, malalaman mong piyesta na talaga ng isang lugar kapag nagluluto na si nanay ng biko, bumibili na si tatay ng pang-lechon, at tumutulong na ang mga anak sa pagde-dekora ng bahay. I guess we Filipinos are just very passionate partygoers kasi we find joy whenever something is ours, mapa-showbiz Filipino pride or own fiesta man ‘yan. At doon lumalabas ang passion natin.
But still, kahit ano namang sobra ay nakakasama. And that is sooo evident with the recent events here in Manila.
Quirino Grandstand Arc
The government held the Araw ng Kalayaan event at Quirino Grandstand to celebrate the country’s Independence Day. Maraming artists ang inimbitahan tulad nina Bagitos, Douglas Nierras Powerdance, MC Leandro, Desylyn Enano, Florante, Garret Bolden, BINI, at iba pa to perform sa free concert. People obviously went but oh, boy… hindi inasahan ng lahat na dadagsain ang lugar ng thousands and thousands of people. Patuloy ang pagsingit ng mga tao para lang makita nila ang kanilang favorite artist na mag-perform sa event.
But, it almost (but really it practically was) became a disaster dahil halos siksikan na ang lugar. Base sa mga kumakalat na imahe at bidyo sa social media, meron ding mga taong umaakyat na sa mga scaffolding at iba pa just to take a peek at the artists. Of course, naging safety issue na ito sa lugar dahil maraming tao ang pwedeng ma-aksidente sa kanilang pinaggagagawa. And unfortunately, this affected the performance of some artists, with a group even stopping their performance midway because of safety issues. And nobody can (AND SHOULD) blame them with what happened dahil nobody expected it talaga.
Love2Laban Arc
Another event na naging usap-usapan sa social media ay ang Pride March na nangyare sa Quezon City Circle. Bakit? Putting aside the AMOUNT OF PEOPLE who went to see the performance of (a) trending artist(s), marami doon ang pumunta lant dahil iniisip nila na free concert lang ‘yun and not a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. What made it even worse was some of the “concertgoers” ay homophobic. A few allies recalled their experience wherein they heard a few people say homophobic stuff and shout “nandito lang kami para sa performance.” Like… hello? That day, concert, and MARCH is not for you. So konting respect lang sana, ‘di ba?
Wattah Wattah Festival Arc
Ahh, yes… this arc is my favorite kasi it’s so bad na malapit nang may magka-kasuhan dito. Ito ‘yung event na manggigigil ka na lang when you read or watch some of the stuff that happened during the event. For reference, Wattah Wattah Festival is a festival that celebrates John the Baptist. But, yung way on how the event was held ay reminiscent of Thailand’s Songkran Festival dahil basaan talaga kung basaan. So ironically, a festival that aimed to celebrate something religious eh yung mga taong gumugunita nito ay walang sinasanto sa babasain nila. And that’s where all of it happened. Meron kasing mga tao na hindi aware or walang choice kung hindi dumaan sa lugar. Some of them were just workers trying to earn money for the day. But, wala silang choice kung hindi mabasa sa festival dahil doon ginaganap. In reality, kawawa lang yung iba kasi nga they are just working.
But the worst thing to happen IMO was the one that I read kung saan si OP (Original Poster) ay nag-share na pumunta siya sa lugar for a job interview, unaware of the festivities and its nature. He/She went there well-dressed (mula pa sa malayong lugar, mind you) habang may dala-dalang mga requirements. But nung nakarating na siya ay binasa siya ng mga tao, regardless of his/her pleading na pupunta siya for an interview. Ang ending, hindi na siya nakapagpainterview at umuwing basa dahil hindi nga niya expected ‘yun. Can you imagine trying so hard for months na maghanap ng trabaho to feed your family, and among the few times na tingin mo “ito na ‘yun” eh babasain ka lang ng mga tao? Don’t get me wrong kasi I understand that it is a festival but not everyone knows about it. And I assume naman na alam niyo as a goer kung sino ‘yung ok lang basain sa hindi.
Filipinos do love to enjoy things. But as I (and many many people outside of this article) have said kanina, lahat naman ng sobra ay nakakasama. It’s good to be passionate. In fact, I even encourage to do so kasi doon nakikita ang pagmamahal mo for yourself or the country. But, remember to set boundaries dahil pwedeng makasakit ito sa ibang tao. Pwede mo namang gawin ‘yang mga ‘yan na hindi ka si-OA or extra, especially the last one dahil ALL we want is to enjoy things. So ang message ko lang ay ipagpatuloy ang maging passionate but ALWAYS SET BOUNDARIES that would not be disruptive or could put the safety of other people (who may or may not share the same sentiments with you) in question.
So… keep the love and passion alive but nobody should get hurt, please!
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