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all of which are necessary for any sport that you will undertake. Sports is not only for victory, we also use it to develop one’s personal character, and it should give our youth the ambition.”
He goes on to address the Albuera residents, who, just months before, were shaken by a drug scandal involving their former local chief executive. “Why we have a rampant drug problem is that, sometimes, our youth does not have hope for the future. They are so idle, and easily tempted with the bad elements around them,” Peping says. “I can see that the youth here are very engaged and excited, that is the sheer sign that the kids here want to do something. That is why, among all of us, young or old, we have to work together such that this community, and the whole country, will be able to have the real fellowship to raise our youth for a better future.”
Soon, the Multi-Sport Facility in Albuera will be able to host basketball, volleyball, badminton and other court sports for its youth, and this early, the women of Barangay Poblacion are organizing morning Zumba classes to be held there daily.
After a lunch of lechon and pansit, we proceeded to the winding road that would lead us to our next stop of Alangalang, which is roughly two hours and a few catnaps away.
3:15 P. M.
Impressed by its sustainability model and responsible practices, Mikee has been supporting the Gawad Kalinga since 2004, so she couldn’t think of a more suitable partner for both the IOC and the POC in carrying out their Multi-Sport Facility projects in Leyte. Their newest site is the GK Community in Barangay Binonton in Alangalang town.
“In other countries, it is (written) in the law to play sports for at least an hour a day. Because if the government takes care of the health and welfare services of its people, they discover that they save a lot on hospitalization and medicine costs when the people are engaged in physical activities. This is the reason why we try to bring sports closer to the most depressed communities in our country,” Mikee says, shortly after the groundbreaking of the community’s new Multi-Sport Facility, slated to be completed this September.
“In the Olympics, we have what we call Olympic values: friendship, respect, and excellence. This is our dream for Alangalang. That is why, once it is completed, it is our hope that people will use it rightly,” she adds.
Introducing her father for the closing address, Mikee says: “This is the person who completely supported me my whole life as an athlete. He is the person who taught me that I need to work hard for everything that I want to achieve, because victory is sweeter if you gave everything to achieve it. He is not only my father, but also the father of those who would want to fight for the glory of our country through sports.”
At this, Peping humbly jokes: “I may be her father, but I am under her. Sometimes, she might have a hard time telling me what to do, but I can’t do anything when she says it is the order of the IOC. But on this occasion, it is nice that we are working together towards one goal.
“We are natural athletes,” he continues. “Filipinos are good people, the Philippines is a great country, we all need to work as one in order to make it a country that will be recognized by the whole world.” He goes on to challenge the members of the community present to help see the project through, and make the most of the complex once it is completed.
5 P. M.
“This is my fourth trip here in Leyte for this project, and every time I come, I learn more,” Mikee shares as we reach the Daniel Romualdez Airport for our trip back to Manila. After more than 12 hours, we were able to open the IOC and POC’s second Multi-Sport Facility in the region, as well as break ground for another one. “I see more meaning in what we do. And I feel like it’s also making me grow and, hopefully, I will be able to use that in the other things I do in the future,” she says, weary from the day’s exertions but gratified.
Which makes me shift my attention to the elder Cojuangco, who simply sits, relaxed in his seat, checking the current NBA scores on his mobile phone. “I’m already 82 years old. Despite that, I still surprise even myself that I’m still strong and not slowing down. Well, sometimes, I forget names and all, but as far as other things, I’m still okay. Perhaps this is God’s way of telling me that I still have an assignment. It’s like I can’t help it, there’s plenty to be done, but there is a lack of those doing it,” he says, with the same vigor he displayed when we arrived. And perhaps this fire will remain well until we finally get our proverbial Olympic gold.
“The concerns of my dad are also my concerns,” Mikee shares. “Of course we want more medals for the country. I am an athlete too, and I know how it is to desire and need support. But what’s important is not forgetting other things, not to get too distracted by something that feels like a brick wall. If we succeed through these facilities, in terms of community growth through sports, then that is our example of utilizing sports for nationbuilding. It is a model that can be applied anywhere in the world,” she says.
And pretty soon, we boarded again for Manila, where fathers will continue to be fathers and daughters will continue to be daughters, but their hearts will continue to beat to the pulse of our country’s athletic dreams.