Tomorrow night, more than 200 Filipino bloggers from across the country are expected to converge at the RCBC Theater for the awarding ceremonies of the Philippine Blog Awards.
I won’t be there, not for lack of desire nor nomination, but simply because my son, Nathan, is still without nanny and I cannot in good conscience choose this wanton blogging bacchanalia over my son’s well-being. It’s not like my eight-month-pregnant wife can handle this three-year-old by herself!
But don’t think I don’t want to be there. I’ve been a Filipino-Christian blogger for almost eight years. My life as a Fil-Christian blogger has outlasted several blog templates (their corpses are still littered throughout the web as a testament to my folly); I’ve had hit counts of as little as 50/day to literally thousands/day. It’s nice to be part of the blogosphere. I would’ve left a long time ago if I thought it didn’t make a difference in my life or that I didn’t make a difference in anyone else’s.
At the end of the day, I don’t think I need recognition (although it’d be nice occasionally to get it). That we all contribute to the blogosphere, that we represent the Philippines as blogging ambassadors to the international blogging community, that we still get hits and comments on our blogs, well, that shows you count. I salute the PBA for doing this, but just as importantly, I salute every Filipino blogger who continues to blog, for whatever reason. You rock my socks.
To the nominees, I tell you: you’re all winners in the sense that people – whether they are judges or people who simply nominated you for Blogger’s Choice – think you are important as a blogger. That your life, recording in your blog, for all to read, can affect someone. That your life and your thoughts and the information you disseminate through your blog, that they all matter. That you are relevant, and you make a daily difference in someone’s life.
That, at the end of the day, is what blogging is all about.
Congratulations, everyone. Hopefully, I can join you again next year.
Update: Here’s the list of winners.
