Think about it
Pangasinan writers pay homage to Perla Samson Nelmida
By Jun Velasco
“When the Great Scorer comes to write against your name, he marks not whether you won or lost but how you played the game,” Grantland Rice, American sportswriter who died 1954
UNBELIEF, a mortal sin when applied to Christian tenets, has engulfed the whole boxing-crazy world after American Timothy Bradley was declared winner in that welterweight showdown with defending champ Manny Pacquiao.
Look at this lead paragraph of Philippine Star’s headline Friday “WBO to review Bradley victory:” “The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has ordered a re-scoring of the controversial Manny Pacquaio – Tim Bradley showdown last Saturday in Las Vegas in an effort to push for a wider pool of judges for major fights, but maintained that the result of the bout won’t be revered.”
Eight out of ten respondents from the whole game of the world’s population from the U.S. senate, to the World Boxing Organization to the entire Philippine government work force, the “mirons and kibitzers and the plain sabit-so’s everywhere – beer houses, barbershops, in every household, salesladies, church pastors, and all—the clear winner was our very own Manny Pacquiao.
Never has a beaten, nay, outscored man been so enthroned in the highest pedestal of accolade everywhere as Pacquiao.
And what’s made him much taller, what with his self-effacing demeanor to just accept the judges’ idiotic decision and leave the whole thing to the Lord. Being a convert, his words rang louder in the halls of believers who always invoke of predestination.
Because of this bizarre, nay wondrous turn of events that white board atop the old Dagupan YMCA basketball court sign should inspire us: “When the Great Scorer pens your name it’s not whether you win or lose, but on how you played the game.” And that’s all what matters.
The Smart Alecks know intimately this reminder because they fall eventually.
And so Alex Tulao need hot shake his head for writing in his last week’s column head: “Fearless forecast: Bradley will fall.”
He should follow it up with “World acclaims Pacquiao victory against judges wrong scores.”
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NOTES: Congrats to Reps. Pol Bataoil and Boying Celeste for posting a perfect attendance in the House of Representatives sessions. How about the quality of bills sponsored and passed?
We know the splendid record of Pol. We hope Boying can match Pol’s excellent output.
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A Pangasinan cultural night amid poetry reading, songs and dances will be held on June 19 (Rizal’s birthday) as a tribute to the “dame of Pangasinan Culture” the late Perla Samson Nelmida of San Carlos City, at 6 p.m. at the Chicka Rue Resto on Concepcion Aguila St., Malacanang Grounds in Manila.
She was our “reference post” on Binalatongan, the Pangasinan language (we don’t call it dialect) and Filipiniana. A doting mother of Binalatongan’s Tres Marias – Daphane Llanto, formerly of DSWD; San Carlos City Information Officer Rachel N. Sapigao, and UP Prof. Marie Crisanta “Malot” Flores, commissioner on Pangasinan Languages.
We were close to the Nelmida family not only by virtue of our association with journalism colleague Rachel and her husband Engr. Raul and their two genius sons Omar and Brian; but also because of Atchi Perla’s late intellectual lawyer – husband Salvamar Nelmida, a fraternity brother in MLQU’s exclusive scholars fraternity, Kappa Gamma Phi (KnightS of the Golden Fleece).
It was from Atchi Perla that we came to know that the late Fernando Pou Sr., father of the Legend, was their kin. Her accounts of Binalatongan (read a full blown article on the May 2012 issue of Pacebook) spurned us to link up with the VMUF founder and first president Martin Posadas, who commissioned us to do a special cover story for the magazine Countryside Catalyst. Those were the times we would accompany Dr. Mart to Manila while he was following up the university papers of Virgen Milagrosa.
Atchi Perla wrote a voluminous book “Pangasinan Folk Literature” during the governorship of Aguedo F. Agbayani. We don’t know whatever happened to that great book now.
The cultural night beside Malacanang should symbolize the re-awaking of “Asinan” culture buoyed by the efforts of ASNA awardee Sonny Villafania and Pangasinan’s Wesbster former Usec Mel Jovellanos whose Pangasinan dictionary book should now be a required reading under our new education curriculum. But why are they still debating what local tongue to use in Grade 1 – Pangasinan, Ilocano or Bolinao?
Madam Supt. Aurie Domingo, it should be Pangasinan!
Pangasinan writing luminaries led by Sonny Villafania should take bolder steps while Gov. Amado Espino, who inspired the writing of a new Pangasinan history thru Gonzalo Duque, is in the saddle.
We could see Atchi Perla smiling amidst these developments.
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