4 Reasons Why You Should Stop Bashing Alyas Robin Hood

A few days ago, GMA released the trailer for its upcoming TV show entitled Alyas Robin Hood, which starred one of its most popular actors, Dingdong Dantes.

If you have not played the video above, it shows Dantes wielding a bow and arrow in a green outfit with a hood. Now, where have I seen that before? 

Oh. Right.

Apparently, the similarities between the weapon and costume of the protagonists from both shows did not sit well with Arrow and comic book fans.

And this picture that appeared on LionhearTV only made matters worse for ARH.

Image source

Although the above image is fan made, it somehow emphasized how much Alyas Robin Hood resembles Oliver Queen a.k.a. the Green Arrow.

Despite the similarities in outfit and weapon, Suzette Doctolero, GMA Head Writer, insists that the character Dantes' will portray is different from that of Stephen Amell. This sparked a social media war of sorts between Doctolero and Arrow/comic book fans.

Now, I am not making this blog post to defend Doctolero. In fact, I agree that Alyas Robin Hood, at the very least, was inspired by Arrow. Despite her claims that the ARH drew inspiration from the Prince of Thieves, it is very hard to deny that her brainchild was a product of the growing popularity of spandex-clad archers such as the Green Arrow and Hawkeye. 

However, Filipino netizens could be going overboard with their treatment of Doctolero and Alyas Robin Hood, especially when you consider that...

1. You Are Judging An Entire Show Based On A Trailer

Whether you are a gamer or not, you most likely heard of the game No Man's Sky in the past few days because it received so much flak for being boring and sucking so bad.

What was wrong? Well, the developers basically shot themselves in the foot when the actual game was not able to live up to the expectations set by its trailer back in E3 2014.

With reference to No Man's Sky, trailers do not tell the entire story.

Although the trailer for ARH screams Arrow, there is still a chance that it goes a different direction from what CW took with its archer. I mean, just look at Hollywood. Almost every movie has the same trailer but they do not necessarily tell the same story. Take a look.

To be honest, I do think that there will be a lot of Arrow-like elements in Alyas Robin Hood, but nothing is certain until the actual run of the show. Outside of ARH's production staff, no one has enough evidence to prove that the show will be nothing but a Pinoy version of Oliver Queen's adventures, so why not give Alyas Robin Hood and its creators a break and a chance?

Besides, a big network like GMA has a lot of reliable lawyers in its payroll. Don't you think at least one them would advise the people behind ARH if they were committing copyright infringement?

2. It Is Not The First Time We Copied Something From the West

After being colonized by the Spaniards for about 377 years and then the Americans for around 48 years, Filipinos have developed a liking from almost anything that comes from the west. This is what most people refer to as colonial mentality.

Having said that, it is not surprising that our pop culture and pop icons have been largely influenced by westerners -- Hagibis was our answer to the Village People, the Eraserheads were comparable to the Beatles, Batang X were inspired by the X-Men and Darna is akin to Wonder Woman. And let us not forget about the times Joey de Leon starred in movies as Filipino versions of Batman and Tarzan. It is things like this that earned Filipinos the reputation of being great imitators.

It may be frustrating to some that Doctolero refuses to admit the similarities between her brainchild and CW's archer, but if you put that matter aside, is there anything wrong with Alyas Robin Hood resembling Arrow?

3. The Show May Not Be Designed For You

Pictures of a conversation between Doctolero and a certain Dindo Antonio Gujelde III has recently surfaced on Facebook. In the said pictures, Doctolero described that ARH is designed for the masses, a good population of which not familiar with Arrow.

While some people would disagree with Doctolero's line of thinking, she is not entirely incorrect.

Although the Internet is now more accessible to individuals that belong to the Class D socioeconomic category thanks to the rise affordable of technology, it is not a guarantee that people will look up Arrow. And in the event that they did, who is to say that it piqued their interest?

There is a reason why shows like the Walking Dead and Supernatural are translated into Tagalog and it probably has something to do with appeal. Even if they do understand the language, it does not have the same appeal as having actors/actresses deliver dialogues in your native tongue.

In addition, the masses will most likely have a hard time relating to the cultural references (how many of us have been to the US, eh?) in Arrow, so creating a quasi-Filipino version of it in the form of Alyas Robin Hood could be more appealing to the average Juan dela Cruz.

And even if ARH is an Arrow ripoff, I bet the people who are complaining about it probably spend most of their time binge-watching foreign TV shows or movies, so I do not see how it affects them in a major way.

4. It Is An Arrow Clone... What Now?

Let me put myself in the shoes of Doctolero/Alyas Robin Hood haters right now. I have established that ARH is a ripoff of Arrow/Green Arrow, that was inspired by Robin Hood and Edgar Wallace's The Green Archer. What's next? Like seriously, what now?

I mean, people appear to be a little enthusiastic in insulting and criticizing the makers of this show that I cannot help but think that it is borderline cyberbullying. I feel like I am watching crazed Arrow/comic book fanatics frothing their mouths with the desire to take down whatever is related to Alyas Robin Hood and the show itself. Now, I am not taking GMA's side on this one. As I said, I believe Doctolero and company are blind to the similarities between ARH and Arrow. But if there is really a strong case against them, shouldn't we be hearing news about DC suing GMA over this? And yet here we are and the best we could is a comment from Amell saying Alyas Robin Hood "looks familiar".

On the other hand, the situation motivated some individuals to suggest that TV networks should attend local comic book conventions where they can draw inspiration from original works of our homegrown artists. Perhaps if more people started thinking like this, we could end up with more lemonades than lemons.

Going back to ARH, it remains to be seen. The only time we can pass judgement on it is once it starts airing. Until then, can we just allow interested parties to enjoy the show while the rest of us move on?

League of Legends: 5 Things I Did (Which I Did Not Use To Do) To Escape Gold

Since 2013, I have been playing this rage-inducing, mind-numbing and stressful video game called League of Legends because I am a masochist and I like some competition every now and then.

Even though I have been roaming around Summoner's Rift for almost almost three years now, I only started playing ranked games during season 4. And during my first two seasons of ranked play, I had the good fortune of finishing in Gold III every time.

However, I reached a new milestone in the game as I finally reached the next level yesterday, 23 August 2016: PLATINUM, BAY-BEE!

Now, I know that being Platinum V is not that big of a deal nowadays. With the creation of the Master Tier, some argue that the quality of play in Diamond Elo and below is not as good as it used to, and that Plat is the new Gold.

Still, I am proud of my accomplishment. After all, there are still thousands of players fighting their way, or in some cases, getting their accounts boosted, to where I am.

Now, some of you are probably thinking, "Meh, he is probably not that good.",  and you are right. I have seen people in lower elo, except for Bronze, that are mechanically superior than me.

So how did I escape gold?

1. I Stopped Flaming

This has been one my biggest problems when playing ranked games. Whenever a teammate feeds or makes mistakes, I cannot help but insult them because I am very passionate about winning. Despite the chat bans and constant reminders on the loading screen that flaming contributes to losses, I continued to bad-mouth people who are not performing well simply because I felt that I am giving my best while they are doing the exact opposite.

However, when I stopped chatting and started to focus on my game instead, I noticed that I started winning more. In fact, during my last few games to Plat, I usually had a teammate who fed. Still, I managed to win by simply not talking to them and focusing on how I can help us succeed.

You see, if you are constantly going to look over your shoulder and call out people for playing badly, not only are you taking your focus off the game, you are also causing your allies to do the same, and this will only make them play worse than they already are. In addition, flaming will also result into uncooperative allies, which is very problematic for a team game like LoL.

Besides, at the end of the day, you will have no control over what the other player does, so why bother wasting your time talking shit about them when you can win the game with your own efforts, right?

2. I Cared A Little Less

Do not get me wrong about this one. I am very passionate about winning. However, in the past, I think I cared way too much and that is why I flame people when they are feeding.

Sure, I still get upset when I lose. But I am not anymore as rage-y as I used to. I do not harass my teammates whenever they make a bone-headed play and I do not go thermonuclear after every loss.

Nowadays, I started taking things one game at a time. I give my 100% every match and hope for the best. If I end up victorious, I celebrate a little and contemplate whether I should quit while I am ahead or try my luck and see if can notch another win. If I lose, I briefly ponder on what I could have done to change the outcome of the game and move on. By doing so, I took the pressure of winning off my back and enjoyed League for the chaotic game that it is.

In short, I am not as emotionally invested in LoL unlike before.

3. I Kept My Champion Pool Small

Thanks to the LCS, LCK and other professional League of Legends... uhm... leagues, I became fascinated with the idea of having a huge champion pool. After all, if you can play a lot of champions, you will be able to adjust against any kind of pick and will be able to utilize different play styles.

However, I realized that expanding my champion pool required a lot of practice. And for someone like me who works on an average 10 hours a day, time is one of the many luxuries I cannot afford.

So instead of wasting my time mastering almost 20 champions, I decided to build a roster of five easy-to-use and flexible champions in the form of Xin Zhao, Dr. Mundo, Jarvan IV, Maokai and Nautilus.

True enough, my five-man champion pool paid off and my winning percentage is at 66.7% with Xin and Mundo leading the charge at 71.4% and 85.7% respectively.

You see, a smaller champion pool allows you to play a selected number of champions that you are really good at. It does not matter if they are out of the meta or have received nerfs recently. As long as you understand their strengths and weaknesses, as well as your win conditions, they will help you get a W.

4. I Flexed Pick... A Lot

In the past seasons, I did not give my picks much thought. I simply picked what I liked to play (I am looking at you Xin).

This season, however, I took advantage of the times when I got to pick first or second to confuse the enemy team. With most of my champions being viable at top, jungle and support (except for Xin), I can force the other players to counter my pick allowing my teammates to counter their pick in the process.

For example, if I get to pick first, I usually select Mundo as my jungler. Since he is a popular pick in the top lane, the opposing top laner would most likely pick a counter to him like Shyvana. A Mundo pick even forces opposing AD carries to pick Vayne sometimes. This gives my team the chance to counterpick two roles while I farm in the jungle where I will not be forced to deal with the champs that counter mine.

5. I Camped A Lot

As a jungler, I used to be pressured to camp every lane because I thought I would have a better chance of winning if all of my laners are fed.

While this is true, it is easier said than done. After all, walking to a different lane takes time. Time that would have been better spent farming and earning more experience. And should your gank fail, do not be surprised to find the enemy jungler ahead not only in CS but in level as well.

This season, whenever I forced a flash out of a champion after ganking, I make it a point to gank that lane again and make return trips while that champ's flash is on cooldown. This allows me and one of my teammates to get fed in the process.

I also make it a point to camp champions without escape abilities in their kit. AD Carry Ashe? Camped. Top Lane Nasus? Camped. Mid Lane Syndra? Camped.

And that is how I escaped gold.

Kahandaan at Pagtugon sa Sakuna, Tungkulin ng Bawat Isa

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Quickly! What do Filipinos celebrate during July aside from Filipino-American Friendship Day?

If you are scrambling for an answer to that question, you are not alone. During my elementary days, Filipino-American Friendship Day was the only occasion people bother talking about every July. Until I met my best friend, and he gave me another thing to celebrate during the seventh month of the year – his birthday.

However, in August 1999, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, by way of Executive Order No. 137, declared July of every year as National Disaster Consciousness Month (NDCM) in the hopes of increasing the awareness of every Filipino on natural and man-made disasters for a better appreciation of the government’s disaster preparedness programs.

In observance of NDCM, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), launched an Office-wide theme writing contest on 1 June 2016. Fortunately, I submitted an entry to the competition and won.

This year’s theme – Kahandaan at Pagtugon sa Sakuna, Tungkulin ng Bawat Isa (which roughly translates to preparing for and responding to disasters is everyone’s duty) – was inspired by Mr. Tsukasa Katsube of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) after hearing him explain how Japan dealt with the Great Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 during his visit to the Philippines in April 2016.

According to Katsube, only a fraction (I cannot remember the exact figures. I think he said something between 10% - 20%) of the survivors were rescued by government responders. The rest of the country’s citizens managed to take care of themselves or save another person’s life. As per Katsube, this was made possible by educating the masses about the nature of disasters, as well as teaching them how to prepare and respond to such phenomenon.  

In a country situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Pacific Typhoon Belt, and threatened by the possibility of the Big One, it makes a lot of sense for Filipinos to emulate the Japanese and start taking disasters more seriously. Although the government is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the people during trying times, each individual in the Philippines should understand that the people working behind the government can and will become victims to disasters as well. And when things go bad, YOU WILL BE ON YOUR OWN.

That is why more Filipinos should start paying attention to government initiatives like the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill to help improve the disaster resilience of the people, and ultimately, the country.

So in the spirit of National Disaster Consciousness Month, I encourage everyone to read a book, visit a website or talk to an expert regarding disasters and how to deal with them. It does not matter what action you take. In the end, all that matters is you are doing something to equip yourself with knowledge or skills that may save you or someone else's life during critical moments.

Find Out How You Can Save A Life With #Pagyanig And #MMShakeDrill

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In the last few years, the words West Valley Fault have been making a buzz throughout the archipelago.

According to studies, the West Valley Fault Line, formerly known as the Marikina Fault, is expected to cause an earthquake of epic proportions, dubbed as the "Big One", should it move in this day and age after being dormant for so long.

To mitigate the damage such catastrophic phenomenon can cause, the national government, through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and its member agencies and partners, conduct a Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on a quarterly basis in order to raise the public's awareness regarding the threat that the "Big One" poses, as well as to develop and maintain the skills of people from government agencies and organizations involved in disaster response and management during critical moments. And on 22 June 2016, the 2nd NSED of the year is set to happen.

On top of that, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will also conduct its Shake Drill on the same date for the same purpose. And rightfully so, especially when you consider that the seat of the Philippine government is found in Metro Manila.

However, all these efforts are exercises to futility if the rest of the country will not participate or support such initiatives.

No matter how much we pressure the government and remind it of its responsibility to the people, the harsh reality is, when disaster strikes YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. Just because a select group of individuals swore to protect and save you during disasters, it does not mean they are immune from the negative impact of such scenarios. Just like you, they can become victims. And just like you, they might use some saving too should bad things happen.

So when the government launches activities like the NSED and Shake Drill, you better pay attention, do your own research and learn how you can increase your chances of survival should the "Big One" come along.

In line with this matter, you can help your friends and family improve their chances of survival by tweeting or posting #Pagyanig and #MMShakeDrill on social media. #Pagyanig pertains to the NSED while the #MMShakeDrill is for the MMDA Shake Drill. By tweeting or posting these words on social media, you can raise awareness for the aforementioned government initiatives, and ultimately, pique the interest of the public towards these drills, which may result into educating a good number of Filipinos regarding the effects of a strong earthquake and how to deal with it.

When you think about, it is amazing how a press of a button or a tap on a screen can save a lot of lives. For what it is worth, tweeting or posting #Pagyanig and #MMShakeDrill is definitely worth your while.

Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War

Source: Marvel Facebook Page

NERDGASMIC. AWESOME. INCREDIBLE.

These are just some of the words that I can use to describe Captain America: Civil War after seeing it yesterday at Trinoma.

Based on Marvel's Civil War comic book storyline, Captain America: Civil War revolves around the creation of a law that requires individuals with special abilities (or tech in Falcon's and Iron Man's case) to work under the supervision of a governing body and how it divides the Avengers based on the opinion of each member towards the said law.

As with most movies that take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Civil War makes a lot of references to previous Marvel flicks especially Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Although seeing the aforementioned movies are not pre-requisites to enjoying CA: CW, having done so will help the viewer get a better grasp of the film's conflicts.

Although based on the Civil War comics, CA: CW separates itself from its source material by using a different jumping-off point for the law that divides the Avengers. Some hardcore comic book fans might be bothered by this matter, but as someone who has read the CW comics and has some idea with the licensing and budgetary issues that Marvel has to deal with just to get this movie done, I think the jumping-off point for CA: CW was pretty clever.

Outside of comic book extremists, most movie goers would it find hard to say anything bad about CA: CW because it has everything you could ask for from a superhero movie: well-choreographed fights scenes, eye-pleasing visual effects, humor and lots of superheroes, perhaps the most in one film at the moment.

With its all-star cast, CA: CW gave us characters worth talking about for weeks. As usual, Robert Downey Jr. was a natural as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Chris Evans once again delivered as the morally upright Steve Rogers/Captain America. It is really hard to tell if all the Avengers got a fair share of the limelight, but as far as I can tell, each received the adequate screen time that their respective roles called for.

What caught me off guard were the performances of Paul Rudd and Tom Holland, Ant-Man and Spider-Man respectively, as they delivered witty and funny dialogues that had me laughing out loud along with other movie goers. I really do not remember Ant-Man being all that talkative in the comics but Rudd somehow makes it work. As for Holland, he captured the youthful exuberance and chatty nature of the Peter Parker from the comics, something we have not seen from Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield. If Holland's performance is any indication, we can expect Marvel's Spider-Man to be another blockbuster.

In summary, Captain America: Civil War may not be a perfect superhero movie but it comes pretty close to being one. Aside from the visual spectacle, well-written script and the praise-worthy performances of its cast, the film tries to give a lesson on accountability, which is what superhero flicks are supposed to do. For those have not seen this movie yet, I encourage you to do so. I promise you that you will have one heck of a good time, plus you get to sit in an air-conditioned room for more than two hours and that is a great way to beat the summer heat.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

I Submitted A Poem To A Literary Contest And Won

As part of its Gender and Development Program, the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) held a Literary Contest anchoring on theme of the 2016 Women's Month, which is "Kapakanan ni Juana, Isama sa Agenda!", which roughly translates into women's rights being prioritized or talked about.

Source: NDCP Gender and Development Facebook Page

The aim of the aforementioned competition was to exhibit literary works from the defense workplace that can bring inspiration to Filipino women with five winners being chosen and rewarded with cash prizes. However, full copyright of their literary works will be surrendered to NDCP.

Being a writer, I jumped on the opportunity to take part in NDCP's Literary Contest. Although I am no stranger to these kinds of competitions, the fact that it has been a while since I participated in one made me worry a bit. The last time I received an award for a literary composition was back in 2007 for my column entitled "Lone Opinion", which is obviously where this blog got its name from.

After getting past the worrying stage, I had to decide what kind of literary piece I will be submitting for the abovementioned contest. With little time on my hands, I decided to write a poem. Fortunately, my entry entitled "Rightfully Hers" made it into the top five. The entirety of the said poem can be seen below and is being posted on Lone Opinion with consent from Ms. Joan Sayosa, Gender and Development Research Officer, NDCP.

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Rightfully Hers

Mother, daughter, sister and wife,

The very definition of a woman’s life.

Or at least that’s what it used to be,

Until the world started thinking differently.

Nowadays females can be so much more,

The passing of time opened more than one door.

Looking back, it has come a long way,

The rights of women then are different today.

In the past, some women cannot partake in elections[1],

Be it as voter or candidate, they had limitations.

There were societies where they were deprived of education[2],

And working strictly inside the house was a normal restriction.

But now, the human race has moved past such nonsense,

And realized that we underestimated a woman’s essence.

Because the jobs and tasks that can be done by males,

Can also be performed with ease by females.

In addition, education is now a must for all,

Regardless of gender, whether you’re big or small.

Aside from being able to elect their leaders,

Most women can now become presidents or rulers.

However, there are still things left undone,

And changes won’t occur if actions taken are none.

Some ladies are still discriminated,

While others are abused and violated.

And even in modern times, there are still societies,

Where women are treated as properties or commodities[3].

When talking about a woman’s rights, one thing is evident,

They may be better now but they still need improvement.

We must keep working at it though the order seems tall,

For such rights are rightfully hers after all.

---

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage_in_the_United_States

[2]https://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/rightsforwomen/introduction.html        

[3]http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/apr/24/women-human-beings-equal-rights-men  

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Although I did not finish in the top three, I still feel pretty good about my work since this was the first time I entered a poem to a literary contest and it won. My thanks to Ms. Sayosa and the people at NDCP for recognizing my efforts and for initiatives that promote not only women's rights but literature as well. More power to NDCP and to women around the world.

(A reminder to anyone who wants to post or share Rightfully Hers on social media, you have to seek consent from NDCP before posting it. As mentioned above, the copyright to the said poem has been surrendered to NDCP) 

Book Review: Si

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It has been a while since I have gotten my hands on a Bob Ong book, and it wasn't until this year that I discovered that he released a new title... about two years ago.

Considering his popularity and the quality of his work, it does not come as a surprise that copies of "Si" sold like hotcakes, which explains why I never saw it in bookstores, causing me to become unaware of its existence until recently.

That is why the moment I saw a copy of "Si" sitting on the shelf of a popular bookstore, I grabbed it like the hot commodity it was.

In truth, I have already read the book back in January or early February, I think, but decided to make a review about it just now because I had to reread it over and over again. And that is the great thing about this book.

You see, "Si" (see what I did there?) is a love story written in Filipino, told in a reverse chronological order. It is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator and revolves around his love for a woman named Victoria.

Because events unfold in a backwards manner, readers will be introduced to the future selves of the characters in the book and will learn about their backstories later. This gives you the feeling that you are getting hit with one plot twist after another, creating an image of the characters in your head only to have Ong shatter it later with their surprising origins in the succeeding pages.

In addition, "Si" puts the spotlight on love itself -- the feelings, experiences and consequences that come with it -- instead of focusing on the people who feel or experience it. Thus, it is not your everyday love story.

Although "Si" is a far cry from Bob Ong's humor filled classics "ABNKKBSNPLAko?!" and "Bakit Baligtad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino?", the abovementioned features made the book great in its own right and gave it so much reread value. Often times, I found myself caught off guard by a character's backstory that I had to go a back a few pages just to make sure I'm not mistaking one character for another. 

Also, reading "Si" from the last page to the first gives you a different perspective and attitude towards its story that it is like reading a different book.

If you're looking for a fresh take on love or have never been told a love story backwards, this book will deliver the goods.

Rating: 3.5 out 5