I have stopped glamorizing the legal profession in the Philippines for two decades now and have celebrated the closed disbarment cases of Gadon et al. in recent years. But I guess I will not stop glamorizing the life of Carlos Edriel “Caloy” Poquiz Yulo.
His double-gold Olympic performance is a cause for celebration and consciousness. He changed himself first, and then his world.
The writings on the wall of social media are touching. Journ and comm colleagues penned the two-day masterful gymnastic events on their walls and converted the name Carlos Yulo into the more famed Michael Jordan of Philippine sports.
If the crawling MJ hugged the ball on the floor (niyakap ng naglulupasay) because his father was gone to celebrate one of the most unforgettable NBA finals wins in Chicago, Caloy embraced the world of bitterness and joy in the Paris Olympics where every move is more romanticized, every second, every drop of tears or sweat in real time unlike the pre-Internet age.
“Pilipinas, bakit ang hirap mong mahalin?” ang anong ng makabagong henerasyong pati ang palakasan ay may mga nagpapalakas na trapo (traditional politicians). But Yulo was unperturbed before contesting the world’s greatest athletes. After? Gagawin niya ang lahat ng pagrespeto sa nakatatanda – at sa mga nanggugulang. He will show all respect to elders. It is over, he has got two golds. He and Ate Hidilyn Diaz, a fellow Olympic gold medalist, are happy. Iyon ang “importantaceous.”
Studied at a public elementary school in Manila, helped by strangers to study at Adamson High, and now Yulo is the one helping the countrymen who are flooded by the harsh weather to breathe on the top of the building or the roof of the house to reflect: Expensive extra rice is unavoidable but there is a side dish that Yulo’s heart is golden in their hearts, knowing that the boy understands their depressed state so he worked hard and promised to fulfill the dream of winning gold for the country.
Sumusungit na ang panahon mula sa kalawakan sa panahong napakapangit ng sitwasyon at napapatanong ang marami kung may gobyerno pa ba, subalit patuloy na lumaban, lalaban, susubukang mag-ala Carlos Yulo sa kalsada, sa gym, sa ilalim ng puno, sa mall, sa bahay-bahayan sa lupang hindi kanila, sa pampang, sa kawalan.
Kung mala-ilog man ang luha na hindi makamtan ang pangarap, ang mahalaga’y hindi kasing dumi at baho ng ilog sa harap o likod-bahay. This is the world Carlos Yulo shares with us. He is willing to extend his already outstretched legs and arms. But be aware of, though you cannot see, the winds beneath the wings of this Falcon from San Marcelino in Ermita.
Be very, very conscious. Caloy the hero will make things happen for the Philippines. Not the trapos. Huwag silang papormahin. Turn a deaf ear to their promises. Except for Carlos Yulo. Siya lang ang papormahin.
I would venture to say sa basketball, huwag din silang papormahin.
Recall the 22-strong Team Philippines delegation. They are the best batch of world-class athletes thus far. It was widely believed that light-flyweight boxer Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, according to twice retired sportswriter Recah Trinidad and the late Chino Trinidad, was robbed of the gold medal decades ago in Atlanta, Georgia, USA during the Summer Olympics gold-or-silver final ring match.
Oppressed race then and now! But like the regimented athletic lives of Onyok, Hidilyn, and now Carlos Yulo, we are to count our blessings, including God-given challenges for the country to move forward.
“I’m so overwhelmed. I’m feeling grateful for having (these medals) and for God. He protected me, as always,” Yulo was quoted by olympics.com as saying. Amen.
DC Alviar
Professor DC Alviar serves as a member of the steering committee of the Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO). He was part of National University’s community extension project that imparted the five disciplines of a learning organization (Senge, 1990) to communities in a local government unit. He writes and edits local reports for Mega Scene. He graduated with a master’s degree in development communication from the University of the Philippines Open University in Los Baños. He recently defended a dissertation proposal for his doctorate degree in communication at the same graduate school under a Philippine government scholarship grant. He was editor-in-chief of his high school paper Ang Ugat and the Adamson News.
