I was walking from home yesterday afternoon after work with my headset on while listening to a local podcast when a young lady approached me. I could not hear what she was saying at first so I had to stop what I was listening to and took off my earphone so I can fully listen to what she was saying.
She introduced herself and the 3 other young ladies that were with her. They were from Argao, Cebu - a town located in the Southern part of Cebu province. I was hesitant to listen to their stories at first because I was in a rush, but they claimed that they were athletes in need of financial assistance. I have big respect for athletes and I decided to have a little chat with them.
They will be competing in Tagum, Davao Del Norte - a city in Mindanao. They are mixed martial arts athletes. What’s surprising is that they will be representing not just the city of Cebu, but the whole Region 7. They will be competing next month with no specific date yet as they are still waiting for their registration papers.
To be honest, it’s no shock to me that athletes are asking for support from local residents since the government is really not that supportive when it comes to sports. Many Filipinos have been constantly asking for support from the government but no to avail. When I asked them if they tried asking for support, they said that they already submitted their solicitation letter to their Local Government Unit and to the higher administration in the city. Since the 2022 election is ongoing and fast approaching, they were not prioritized and they still have not heard back from them.
Listening to this, I was angered, disappointed, and saddened. How come our athletes are making all these efforts and ways so that they can compete and represent our city? I don’t understand. I am not very vocal when it comes to things like this since I am no athlete but looking at their struggles was heart-wrenching to watch.
Stories from other Filipino athletes asking for sponsorship and donations from private companies can be seen on the internet since the government do not really care about this. What's more infuriating is that they will claim and take credit for the success of the athlete even though they have not done shit. LMAO
Anyways, these four ladies were selling this keychain to me with the colors of our Flag made out of beads for 100 PHP ($1.95), but I gave them 150 PHP ($2.92) for additional support. I was tight with cash so that was the only amount that I could manage. Hopefully, I can get to stumble upon them today so I can treat them somewhere and have a little chat. I am wishing for their success on the upcoming competition.
Nonetheless, I just wanted to let my frustrations out. Thank you for reading this!
Stay awesome, human. 💚💛
