Jamie Ortega
 
*talking about the Azkals game against Kuwait*
"Ang daya kaya."

( I thought he was referring to the loss of the Azkals )

"Kasi puro sila hindi pure Filipino eh, ang daya. Pag pure Filipinos malakas sumipa."

( so I quickly grabbed for my phone to write down his words )

He gets it, he's nine and he sees something that most people twice his age don't see. I've been wanting to write about the rise of the Azkals for so long I just couldn't find a right opening. Gawd, that little boy is soooo adorable.

I'll make this short. Just think for a second, we have the "Philippine team" up against some other country and what do their locals see? A bunch of guys with mostly Western surnames at the back of their uniforms? Did you ever think of what that says about our people? I think it's clearly another form of colonial mentality and God knows when we'll finally get rid of that. I'm sure they're doing all they can for the country, and I admire that. I'm not attacking the players, I'm attacking the reason for the rise of soccer in the Philippines. Soccer has been around so long in the country yet it took a bunch of hot guys for it to gain some credit. I feel sorry for the players who never got recognized but mostly, I feel sorry for us Filipinos.

I mean really, is that what "Philippine pride" has been reduced to?






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Jamie Ortega