Won't they "Everest"?

To watch Wednesday night's news and see Oracion conquer "the world's tallest mountain" is another symbolic victory for the Filipino people, much like the well(over)-publized Pacquiao-Morales matches. But is it really what its shown to be?

Though I am a Filipino and proud of it, I don't share the same enthusiasm or whatever warm-fuzzy feeling as those guys featured in the news. Maybe what they were feeling,or even you, was a sense of patriotism, tingling within as they see that Philippine flag fluttering in the oxygen-starved wind? Is it another nation-binding moment, or a clear-cut case of "the end doesn't justify the means"?

The point, as I see it, of sending a Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition team is to show the world the fortitude of the Flipino people and spirit by conquering the world's hightest peak and instill a sense of patriotism to the populace. They did show something, but I don't think it was the one they wanted.

I'll make it simple: they turned the whole thing into a network war. Even to the roof of the world they did'nt let go of competiton. All this happened just because Gma-backed Garduce announced he's gonna climb Everest ahead of the official Phil. expedition team. Not wanting to be upstaged, ABS-CBN rushed 2 people to beat him to it. There's no "I" in team, but apparently there's a "Leo" in it.

All I saw in this is the classic "crab mentality" already associated with us Pinoy's.
And with all this ratings-driven fiasco, how patriotic can you get?