THE WRITING PROGRESS

The Rise of the Goma Emblem

Topic: Asian Games
The Rise of the Goma Emblem

Stretch it. Make it fly. Hit the target! From being the 90s kids’ most valuable toy, to a substitute for many things (eraser, belt or even accessories), the Philippine version of loom bands are surely handy. Who would have thought that the object you’ll commonly find on the wrist of elementary pupils will be the star of the 2019 Asian Games proposed logo?

LEVEL 1
                      “Let us all welcome our delegates with colorful rubber bands!”
                       The crowd of netizens booed as the officials shoved the curtain to one side and revealed the proposed 2019 Asian Games logo. The controversial emblem resembling a Philippine map made out of circles in varying shapes and colors circulated the worldwide web faster than the apocalypse. “We didn’t even look like we tried,” a netizen pointed out on Twitter, while showing a collage of past Asian Games logos compared to the proposed one. “Remember the rubber bands you played as a kid? This is them now, feel old yet?” another individual said, attaching a meme that shows the resemblance of the logo and the fore mentioned toy. While others are ranting and ‘meme-ing’ about it, some business like Angkas, a ride sharing app, used it as a gateway to attract more costumer by imitating the circle patterns of the logo on their own one.

LEVEL 2
                     “One of the qualities a good logo must have is being draw-able by kids.”
                       In defense of the ‘goma’ emblem, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary Allan Peter Cayetano claimed that no funds were used for the proposed logo. The logo itself is simply a part, five percent to be exact, of the campaign for the upcoming Asian Games that our country (Philippines) will host next year. He also presented one silver lining of the situation, and that is the logo being the talk of the town.

LEVEL 3
“That’s the best thing we can do right now. Hope.”
Fueled by patriotism and art, local artists strived together to come up with their different versions of the said logo. Undeniably more vibrant and well-structured, these pieces only add up to the frustration and disappointment of the Filipino people. The DFA said, however, that the agency itself is open for suggestions. Full of hope, netizens are expecting that the admin can come up with a better emblem.

Ascending
Amidst all of the controversy, there is an undeniable fact that the logo is indeed unforgettable and unique. Rising above its sisters, the one-of-a-kind design could only be better from here especially when used with symbolism. Filipinos, moreover, are akin to the rubber bands in terms of elasticity and resilience. Like the logo, the Filipino athletes are expected to rise up for the 2019 Asian Games. Stretch and warm up. Make them fly. Hit the golden target.