WRITTEN BY FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

Did you know that during last year’s Tokyo Olympics, the #1 most used emoji on Facebook was the Philippine flag? And it’s completely understandable due to how impactful the Filipino presence was because for the first time ever, the country earned a gold medal thanks to its representative weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz! This was the first Olympic event amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and Filipinos took the very opportunity to prove that we were no longer just the underdogs of the competition. Professional skater Margielyn Didal also went to the finals while boxing team Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial, and Irish Magno took home silver and bronze medals. The Philippines was able to put on a thrilling show for all and it was merely just the beginning for our athletes as they continue to break records and international barriers.

The accomplishments done by veteran athletes like Manny Pacquiao, Paeng Nepomuceno, Efren Reyes and many more helped pave the way for the world to recognize our community’s skills in various sports. And just recently, we’ve seen Filipino excellence thrived once again as the Philippines’ para-athlete delegation raked 13 golds, 12 silvers and 18 bronzes at the ASEAN Para Games, the Philippine women’s football team qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and pole vault ace EJ Obiena won 3 gold medals in a row during his Germany circuit! All these accomplishments, including those from the 19 Olympic representatives last year, are such a huge deal for the Philippines considering the inadequate support the country’s sports industry gets from their own government, a fact even admitted by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and an issue that Hidilyn herself was very vocal about.

Fortunately, Hidilyn’s win was enough to prompt government officials to take action for this and improve. But would they still have if they weren’t called out for it? For the longest time, the Philippines only ever prioritized and supported basketball (and still does!), which resulted in neglecting other fields of sports. Basketball players are popularly loved and widely invested on, but non-basketball athletes deserve the very same treatment. The Philippine government failed its sports industry when their athletes had to rely on crowdfunding or protest to receive their rightful allowances. Some would go to lengths just like Wesley So, who had to switch allegiance to the U.S. after his incentives were withheld from him. In Hidilyn’s case, she asked the government for financial support for her training and instead was red-tagged by former President Duterte’s administration.

At some point in our lives, we learned to do a specific type of sport, whether it’d be a friendly game or a requirement for school. But while some may see it as a form of leisure and entertainment, competing in sports is a whole other thing. It means more than just bringing pride to your loved ones or your country… It’s a form of livelihood, a passion that’s been years in the making or even the means to break out from the struggles which the community continues to face.

Women athletes like Hidilyn, Margielyn, Yuka Saso and Nesthy Petecio have contributed to eradicating the internalized sexism among Filipinos as well as representing the Filipino LGBTQ+ sector, by proving themselves through male-dominated sports. Para-athletes such as Allain Ganapin and Ernie Gawilan show that even physical obstacles can never get in the way of playing competitively. Even Filipino-Americans Paige McPherson, Emma Malabuyo and Jordan Clarkson are breaking barriers by introducing our community’s potential to western audiences. Now more than ever, we are seeing more of our people set records for the rest of the world, so you get used to posting about our athletes’ wins on your Instagram stories because Filipinos are making it onto first place podiums and we’re here to stay.