So… The kid finally scored her first competitive goal as part of their school’s grade school football/futsal varsity.
Too bad all this daddy pride came with a dash of middle class guilt.
This match day was for the DepEd Unit Meet for elementary girl’s futsal. The kid’s team emerged victorious and they were nothing short of dominant, beating their opponents by 20-goal margins.
But giving public school teams a drubbing doesn’t really sit well. A good couple of minutes after my ecstatic cheers after the kid scored, the gut punch of reality brought me down real quick.
Kasi naman. Objectively, there really was a gulf in class. And by class, I mean social class. It’s not like naawa ako sa ibang teams. Any other person might feel that way. I don’t think pity is the right emotion for it.
The public school teams didn’t even have proper uniforms. Only a few had proper footwear, fewer still, those with protective gear. I swear one kid was even playing in worn black leather school shoes that had her slipping and sliding during their matches.
Thing is, they really have some talented and skilled players. They played with a lot of effort and heart too. They didn’t let up despite the wide margin and hustled until the last whistle. They just weren’t able to match against a well-coached, well-trained, and well-equipped squad that was the private school team.
But mad mad mad respect to those kids. To a discerning eye, one could only wonder what the other kids could achieve if they had similar resources and support.
Kaya naman naka-putang ina lang lahat ng kontrobersya sa korupsyon ngayon. We have promising student-athletes pero walang mga gamit, uniporme, o kahit pamasahe man lang kasi “wala raw budget.”
Pero kitang-kita naman, may pera naman para sa mga bulsa ng kontraktor at kakuntsaba nilang opisyal. Tapos yung mga nepo baby na kung makapagwaldas ng yamang nakaw sa taumbayan eh walang hiya pa rin ano? Sarap tirisin.
Kaya sana lang may managot. Sana talaga may maghimas ng rehas habang binabarurot sa kulungan.