‘May ggss syndrome ba si Mocha Uson: Galing na galing sa sarili?’

SUPER belated as it obviously seems, gusto lang naming ibahagi ang aming two cent’s worth take sa pagbibigay ng parangal ky PCOO ASec Mocha Uson ng mismong pinaggradweytan niyang pamantasan, ang UST.

Sinagot na ni Mocha ang unsolicited advice ni Karen Davila. Kapwa silang nakahanap ng mga kakampi, also with a good(?) number of bashers. Tama ang opinyon ng marami: neither did Mocha ask (much less beg) nor lobby for the recognition. Kusang ipinagkaloob ‘yon sa kanya. May punto si Mocha, ang suhestiyon ni Karen na isoli niya ang award sounded a bit too imperative, it also reeked of arrogance as well as thanklessness. Ang alumni association ng UST ang siyang nagkaloob sa kanya ng parangal, despuwes, it’s the same body which should recall or take it back from the recipient. Sorry, not even the disgruntled UST students so have the right to press undue action against the body. Bakit, hindi pa sila mga alumni, ‘no! This doesn’t mean, however, that Mocha can rest on her laurels. If she honestly believes that she’s most deserving of the recognition, hayaan natin siyang itabi ‘yon hanggang sa kanyang pagtulog until she wakes up the next morning. Pero kung sa assessment ni Mocha is that she falls short of the credentials (tulad ng incompetence sa pagpapatupad ng kanyang tungkulin sa PCOO), por delicadeza, on her own volition ay dapat lang siyang magkandarapang isoli ang award na ‘yon. And bravo, she did just that albeit hindi niya ‘yon personal na isinoli. Hindi lang si Mocha kundi lahat tayo, we are the only ones who know the extent—or limitations—ng ating kakayanan (maliban na lang if you’re trapped in an inescapable GGSS syndrome or Galing na Galing Sa Sarili). To return or not to return the award is neither Karen’s nor the UST students’ concern, but Mocha’s. More than putting to rest the issue, for sure, napagtanto rin ni Mocha that the award wasn’t really meant for her, obvious ba? q q q Bibihira ang mga nakakaalam na matagal na kaming magkaibigan ni Allan K. Allow us to take you back in time. Early 80s nang mag-meet kami ni Allan K, may regular gig kasi siya sa Minus One sing-along bar (at the back of the Philippine Christian University) where we’d hang out during weekends. Teacher pa kami noon samantalang entertainer na sa Japan si Allan whose signature song was “I’m Just a Gigolo”. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, sa tuwing  magkukrus ang aming landas we’d call each other names. Mga pangalan ‘yon ng mga artistang sumikat noon, at isa roon ay si Pinky Montilla. Probably hardly anyone remembers Pinky to this day, siya ‘yung tabaing kulut-kulutang mestisahing aktres noong dekada sitenta who played Fantastica and Super Girl na siya ring pamagat ng mga pelikulang ang pamilya niya ang nagprodyus (dating mayor ng Isabela, Bacolod ang tatay niya). Back to Allan, we got a somewhat frantic surprise call from him. Nasa arrival area raw siya ng NAIA Terminal 3, hulaan daw namin kung sino ang susunduin niya. “Ano ‘to, Pinoy Henyo?” sagot namin. Si Pinky Montilla pala ‘yon, ang kababayan ni Allan K na kapareho rin niya ng birthplace. He had no one else in mind daw kundi kami, dahil nga sa nakasanayan na naming batian. Oo naman, buhay pa rin sa aming kamalayan ang pangalang Pinky Montilla kahit pa may mga kapangalan din siyang sumikat. Pinky de Leon. Pinky Amador. Pinky Marquez. Not to mention Pinky Pop Fernandez (da who?).