"In the Philippines, I found a nation of people who love hoops as passionately as I do. At first, it was hard to believe. How did a tall man's game become a cultural force of nature in a Southeast Asian country full of fairly short people? But Filipinos have a basketball history that stretches back to the early 1900s, and over the past century the sport has become ingrained in nearly every aspect of Philippine society. On the sides of jeepneys, in every town square, on billboards and commercials for a dizzying range of products that includes sneakers, vitamin syrup, tires and margarine, you see basketball. Almost everywhere in the Philippines, you see basketball."
Yesterday afternoon, I had my own "Pacific Rims" experience in the quiet and peaceful barrio of Badian in the coastal town on Oas, Albay.
I was sent here to have an impromptu rural immersion as part of our Social Action Internship in the Diocese of Legazpi. I was sent here with my classmates to look into the Coastal Resource Management program of the Social Action Center. We looked at how natives helped together to rehabilitate the corals in the sea, prevent big fishing ships from fishing in their waters through illegal means, and come up with programs to increase the population of fishes in their shores that would eventually equate to a better catch in the near future.
Now where did basketball come into the picture?
The barangay captain of Badian invited us to play basketball with the natives. We accepted the invitation out of courtesy to the host. We then decided to look for the basketball court, check out how it looks like (how tall the ring was, how was the flooring, etc), and perhaps catch a glimpse of the people we were about to play with. And upon seeing the court, I was shocked. Players seem to have 0% body fat, the court was high, there was no net, the ring was solid, the floor was made of rough cement, games were physical and involved a lot of running, and they played barefoot! I mean, for someone who played ball in Manila on covered courts (preferably a wooden court at that), with snapback rings and fiberglass boards, and with a pair of Nikes on foot... I was in for an awkward gaming night.
We played a couple of games and we were fortunate to keep the games close. With the high ring, uncooperative board, uncushioned feet, and an oblong ball, there was no chance of winning. And yes, we might not have won, but playing in such an environment was an experience to behold. Imagine how the natives just kept playing the game with the resources they have. They just kept playing, I guess. And imagine the playing scenario back in the metropolis. I have to say I'm blessed with a lot yet most of the time make excuses for losses. Now who has the passion for the game? Your answer is as good as mine.
It's not every day that I get to experience this kind of game and scenario. But the next time I have an immersion in some place, whether it is in the far flung areas of the Philippines or one of those slums in the metro, the first thing I will look for is a basketball court. I will observe the players, the court, how they play, and what drives them to play. And who knows, I might be shooting on that court in the next few minutes.
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