Proud to be Pinoy in 2009! (Part 3)

Juana Tejada is a Filipina caregiver who fought hard to improve the situation of her fellow foreign live-in caregivers in Canada. A Canadian legislation that proposes regulations to better protect the rights of live-in caregivers and to make it easier for them and their families to obtain permanent residence in the country was named after her.

Another Filipino that has made me feel proud is Francis Magalona.   He was the Philippine’s Master Rapper and The Mouth.   Son of Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran, Francis released seven award-winning full-length albums from 1987 to 2000.  He was the honoree legend in Music Award, 1st Visionary Awards, in 2008, and recipient of Generation Award of MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards in 2006. Personally, aside from this genius in music, I am proud of how he squared it off with leukemia.  With his face beaming with smile, his sickness lost his pangs on him.  Truly inspiring!

Third in this list are the 251 Filipino athletes who competed in Laos SEA Games.  They were able to finish fifth – one notch ahead of Singapore.   And the Filipino athletes were simply superb in their performance!  While they were expected to win at least 50 gold medals, they actually won only 38 gold, 35 silver, and 51 bronze medals in spite of so many odds, such as: the long running feud between Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission; the 13-rider cycling squad were not able to compete following the leadership controversy hounding the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines – among others.

Fourth in my list is the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).  In 2009, PCIJ won the Agence France Press (AFP) Kate Webb Award.  It was in recognition for PCIJ’s contribution in investigative journalism for the last two decades.  Too, PCIJ was awarded the Asia Journalist Association(AJA) Award for Press Freedom in Seoul, South Korea.

Fifth – and the last in this piece – is Maxbal Balatbal.  He was invited to participate in the 7th Florence Biennale – which is certainly a cause for celebration in the art community and the whole country.  Florence Biennale is an international art fair  showcasing a select number of artists from all over the world.  Maxbal is the first painter to display his word, “Avenida Manila,” which is about the poignant life in the red life district of Manila..

All in all, in three postings of the same title, I mentioned just twenty-five persons, events or developments that have made me proud of my people and country.  Surely, there were more than these twenty-five entries!  For there were myriads of Filipinos – both in and out of the Philippines – who are bringing honor not only to themselves but also to their country of origin.