When great things happen that put the Philippines in a good light, people would instinctively exclaim "I'm proud to be a Filipino!" "I was hiding my head in a hole until this thing happened, what a wonderful feeling!" Many such things come to mind: the restoration of democracy through a peaceful revolution in 1986, the triumph of Lea Salonga in the music and entertainment scene, victories of many sportsmen and women in their fields, especially for Manny Pacquiao lately, and many others...When bad things apparently happen, these same folks profess to be ashamed of their nationality. Surely, bad things always happen, and we should do our part in stopping them, or at least mitigating their effects. But our national pride never fades; it goes on and on.
Perhaps it is similar to what happened (it may still be happening) to the Church in the past few years. I guess everybody remembers the clerical scandals involving minors. Many Catholics lost their faith. They failed to see the forest because of the rotten trees. You know what? I'm proud to be a Catholic. I might include here the politicking of many bishops and priests--I'm very disappointed with them, but I'm still a proud Catholic. [Obviously, pride as used here pertains to its positive meaning, not its negative, being the first among the 7 capital sins.]
I'm proud to be a Filipino, no matter what!
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