“We Filipinos are indeed the best people on earth!”

[Guido found this column by Hilarion M. Henares Jr., Make My Day, in Google Search.  I didn’t realize it had been so long ago–23 years ago, when my world was young, fresh, and still full of exciting possibilities.  Anyway, I post it here in Den’s website, in case anyone else is reading it except Den’s family, just to remind ourselves that as a people, we have so much to be proud of, and that we should not let anyone tell us otherwise. — Ethel P David]

http://www.philippinefolio.com/contdetail.php?id=1&id_app2=4&id_app3=00043

Let church bells ring, the Flip is the greatest

Let the air resound with the peal of church bells, the blare of bugles and the rumble of drums. Let our hearts swell with pride, for we Filipinos are indeed the best people on earth!
The Dog’s Mead Puzzle which appeared in an American computer magazine in October 1981 was so puzzling that no answers were received for two months, and the magazine never printed the right answer. I printed it in my column on October 20, 1986; and answers were received in the afternoon of the same day plus those postmarked the same day. Fourteen were received and of those four had the right answers.
Then I received an avalanche of 51 answers postmarked the next day October 21, and of these more than half or 35 had the right answers. It is unbelievable, we must be a race of geniuses. Now you know why I am so inordinately proud to be a Filipino. In MIT where I studied and which is the toughest college in the whole world (we have to solve every problem starting from Newton’s Laws; no other formulas allowed), we Filipinos were always in the upper 10% of the class. Yes, even Federico V. Borromeo, really, I swear, on my honor, ask Renato Grande if you do not believe me. Freddie likes Americans, but he is an exception to most morons who do, he has brains, honest.

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There were several foreigners who submitted answers; none of them won except one who appears to be an Indian. I will not say any more, since I just joined the SPCA, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Americans.
Among the schools involved, the University of the Philippines won hands down. No one among the winners acknowledged Ateneo or La Salle or San Beda or Letran as their college. Perhaps it is true that those with Catholic education do not respond to challenges because they are used to being spoon-fed. I am glad I went to U.P. too.
We have four winners. There is Mariglo Ledesma Ilowa, a 16 year old, first year Biology student in U.P. Diliman, residing in 7-B Duplex, C.V. Francisco St., PK Amorsolo, UP Campus, Diliman, QC 3008. Then there is Aldan Sapit, an 18 year old, 3rd year student in U.P. Engineering, residing in 47 San Marcos Street, Navotas. Then we have Mary Rose S. de la Cruz, 3rd year student in Computer Science, U.P. Diliman, no home address either. And last but not least, R. Rafael Reyes, a graduate in Communications, no school indicated, who took only 9 units of college math, residing in 125 or 117 Hon. Gregorio Roxas Street, Quezon City.
Congratulations, I wish I could give each of you P500, but if I did I would have to survive on tilapia for the rest of the month. We will have all of you for dinner or lunch, and leave it to you to decide whether the prize money be divided or raffled.
We requested our editor, His Immenseness Cardinal Beltran, for a donation from his TV show which pays him a price of a Mercedes for every growl. He growled at us, and expected us to pay him instead, and that was that.

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Among those who had the right answers on October 21, one has no name and the other 34 are, in alphabetical order: Gregorio Aguilar; Joseph Martin Asunsion; Juveno K. Austria; Caesar Augustus Blanco; Allan Paul Briones; Lauro Daez; Nelly Daileg; Guido David; Magnolia Cecilia Dayrit; Leopoldo Denorte; Ma. Carmen Echevarria; R. Erwin Elevazo; Honorio Estrella Jr.; Percival Myles Garcia; Ishwar Gopichand; Ma. Carolina Lanuzo; Reynaldo Lesaca; Leonardo Liongson; Jose L. Lopez; Marcel Julius Lopez; Connie Madarang; Ma. Clarissa Navata; Reuel Inchoco Obar; Rolando de la Paz; Orville Ponce; Eduardo Quema; Carlito A. Reyes; Celso Roque; M.L. Salvador; Hector Tabilisma; Elizabeth J. Tan; Jose Tiangco; Arturo Villasor; Bernardo Viray.
Of those with the right answers, 10 indicated they were from UP; one from Philippine Science High School; one from Mapua; one from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila; one from Bicol University; one from Meralco Foundation Institute; one from SGV Development; the rest gave no indication where they are from.
The most common mistake happened in 10 Across, Farmer Dunk’s age. There are two possibilities, 62 and 72. But Dunk had a 45 year old son, and it is more likely that he was 27 rather than 17 when he sired his first-born. Besides, we said that one of the numbers across is the same as one of the numbers down; and we could only refer to 14 Across and 10 Down, both 792. The correct answer follows:

{CROSSWORD WITH SOLUTION WITH X as a Blacked Out Square, and the 12 POINT numbers representing the correct solution. The 10 POINT numbers in SUPERSCRIPT at the left upper corner of the appropriate square are the original numberings of Across and Down}

13     8     27     32     0     X     41
5     X     53     2     X     64     4
5     X     9     X     73     5     2
X     81     6     1     90     X     X
107     2     X     111     9     121     133
9     X     X     X     147     9     2
152     7     X     161     6     X     5