Progress

One of my most embarassing moments is the time when I was asked to represent the class for the Impromptu Speaking Contest in Filipino. It was Buwan ng Wika, and everyone in KNCHS was looking forward to the culmination event.

I was surprised that I was picked out, of all my classmates who spoke the language better than I did. I had difficulty speaking in Filipino because in Koronadal, we never speak it. It's off—it just sounds off, like the screeching of tires on pavement.

So, there I was, sitting on a monobloc chair on-stage, waiting for my turn. I picked my topic a minute before I was to begin. The unfolded the piece of paper read, "Ano'ng masasabi mo tungkol sa administrasyon ni Joseph Estrada?"

I had no clue.

I came near the microphone, rattled my introductions, and I started saying something. It was one of those moments when silence was torturous, and I just had to say anything, no matter how unrelated, as long as the words were in Tagalog.

A minute after I started I regained my thoughts, but just as I was about to go on my second point, I totally blanked out. Tabula rasa. My brain was as clear as Absolute drinking water.

Forgetting how "progress" was translated in Tagalog, I said the following words that would scar me for dear life:

Dapat isaalang-alang ni Pangulong Estrada sa kanyang mga programa na ang Pilipinas ay dapat mag-progress.

Good job, Lance. And in case you're asking, I placed last.