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THERE IS a new cult in the Philippines. †I call it the “cult of the biggests, longests, and the mosts.”††The singular goal seems to be a few millimeter-square of print space in the†Guiness Book of World Records. †We have the longest longanisa, the most number of plates washed by a single sachet of a dishwashing liquid, the biggest bibingka, most number of inihaw na bangus, and countless other “world records.” †Oh, and have I mentioned that for several years now we’ve been fiercely competing to regain the world records in†building the biggest pair of shoes (never mind that nobody will ever get to wear it) and in staging†the most number of couples simultaneously kissing in public?
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In my humble opinion these††”world records” have managed to add no more than dubious contributions to our national pride. †In other words, I am not exactly proud of these world records. †If there’s anything gained from these, I believe it is that they are proclaiming to the world how competitive Filipinos are, which is not at all bad even though some may observe that we seem to be very competitive in all but the competitions that really matter.
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But there is one world record that we Filipinos have recently earned which I believe we can all be proud of. †The Philippines ranked No. 1 in the world in the number of cities and municipalities that participated in Earth Hour. †Now, if only that one hour of “showmanship” — of “stealing the spotlight” in the world stage — can be sustained and would translate to significant gains in the campaign to save Mother Earth.
