By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
They travel around the world to go and watch Eala play tennis. She makes us Filipinos proud. At least there is one Filipino who shines in the international scene. Well, there was Manny Pacquiao, Wesley So, etc. but that would be digressing.
Why do Filipinos abroad can travel by plane or drive all night to reach another country to watch Eala play?
I am qualified to write this because I read and I think. As to having personal knowledge of the matter, I have none. I could have had. There had been offers for me to go and work as a lawyer and for further studies abroad but I never took any of them. Why? I am good or contented here. Etcetera. Etcetera,
So why is the fan base of Eala, mostly members of the Filipino diaspora the most potent one in tennis history? Because being in another country ingrained in them to be always on their toes. They had to work hard to secure their place in the respective countries that welcomed them. They could not afford to be good for nothing because it would have been easy to ship them out to where they originated.
So they accumulated qualifications. And most of all, they saved. For many them used their money for business and became successful For others , they used that to further their educations or to make sure their kids went far as far as education was concerned. And many of their kids went way beyond what many of the kids of the natives of their adoptive countries attained in the academe or in any field that required some respectable scholarship capability.
In short, many Filipinos abroad have money. They did not splurge their earnings on things or endeavors to make them look good or to appear like they were rich. They took good care of their money so the future of the family members could be assured.
Am sure they kept separate accounts for that. But what happens when something happens like Eala having a game in another nearby country? They have money to travel there by any means. By air, sea, or by land. Yes, the inscrutable Filipinos will have the money for that. To show the world that might have looked down on them earlier as minority or even disadvantaged immigrants, that Filipinos are also somebody. Or can be somebody.
Yes, if I were abroad and somehow could afford to travel to a nearby country where Eala was having a game, I would have traveled there also. Yes, if only to show that Filipinos can.
So let us continue to be like Filipinos abroad who can save and continue to contribute in whatever small way to uplift or prop up their “kailian” or their compatriot.
It should feel very good to be able to do that. To make the rest of the world see that Filipinos can.
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