The Manila Times 2003년 12월 1일자
Heart of a Champion
By Eric F. Mallonga
Manny Pacquiao transcended his limitations from a poor “kanto boy” who learned hard knocks from the slum areas, to the prominent athlete, who made his country proud. But this column is not about the fame and fortune of this great boxer, who pummeled his way to victory against all odds. It is similar though. It is about three orphan children who, despite their poverty, defeated their opponents, and brought glory to this nation. However, unilike Pacquiano, they remain unrecognized by their people.
Elvira Torreon, now 16, was a streetchild, thrice apprehended for viagrancy in Tondo, Manila’s toughtest slum distirct. Her mother migrated to Manila, to care for her eight children, who found jobs as minors. Her father now deceased, remained in Boho. Due to lack of parental guidance and peer influence, Elvira dropped out of grade school and started life as a street vagrant. On her third apprehension, Elvira was detained at Manila’ Reception and Action Center. Her oldest sister, Prima Torreon, who became a Virlanie houseparent, sought Founder Dominique Lemay’s help. Taken in by Mother and Child Program, a joint project of AMADE Philippines and Virlanie, Elvira was converted from hard-core streetchild into an honor student. When integrated into Virlanie’s Gabay Buhay Home, she became junior staff, joined its Young Adults Program, and started learning Taekwondo under Virlanie’s Korean volunteer masters. Then she started winning Manila wide taekwondo competitions.
Someday, Elvira wants to become a lawyer to defend children from unspeakable abuses of predator police, which she sadly experienced.
Rachel Agustin, now 16, was found roaming with her brother aroudn the Sta. Ana Market in the midst of a supertyphoon. Their parnets had sepatated. Their mother abandoned them totally, and their alcoholic father, a tricycle driver, virtually abandoned his children to the streets. He slept in old cars in a junkyard and had no capacity to provide a home for his children even as he spent his earnings on gambling and drinking. When abandoned to Virlanie’s care, Rachel felt no tears for her father. There she started developing talents in singing and sports.
She hopes to become an engineer to build a large home for her family, a loving home she never experienced until Virlanie.
ANnalyn Cantago, now 16, was an abandoned extra-marital child. In 1997, Annalyn was temporaily placed in Virlanie because her foster mother, Virlanie’s Deputy Director Florence Caponong, head to attend a seminar abroad. Annaly, only 10 years old, never saw her foster parent alive again as Florence died in Germany. In 1998, Annalyn’s birth father also died. In distress, Annalyn suffered primary tuberculosis, and had to undergo six-month medication. She recovered under the guidance of Virlanie caregivers and started reaping academin honors and athletic awards in school competitions.
Last month, these three children left for Jincheon, Koreato participate in the 2003 World Taekwondo Hwarang Festival, with 32 coutnries competing in various Taekwondo events. These orphans were not provided with government support, not even the flashy sports jackets give Philippine Taekwondo Association members. They were trained by a single Korean martial arts instructor, Jimmy Oh, an interantional volunteer from the South Koran chapter of Virlanie Foundation, who believed in the raw courage of these children from the slums.
Jimmy Oh rigorously trained these Virlanie orphans every afternoon, even using the small garage space of Viralnie’s business office for their daily rituals. He taught these girls an unsual form of Taekwondo gymnastics dance, still unrecognized in the Taekwondo world. He made no mistake.
And win they did. Each garnered gold medals in their respective divisions, reaping honors for our country.
But there has been no recognition given them by the Philippine Olympics Committee or Philippne Sports Commission. There was no welcome parade at the airport. No courtesy call with the President was arranged by our sports officials. No parents welcomed them as these children had been abandoned at their tender ages. No neighborhood band cheered their return as they live in a commnunity not congeial to orphans lurking within the neighborhood.
Nonetheless, these orphans remain undaunted;prepared to go the long haul in achieving the best they can. After all, each of these children, possesses the heart of a champion.The Manila Times 2003년 12월 1일자
Heart of a Champion
By Eric F. Mallonga
Manny Pacquiao transcended his limitations from a poor “kanto boy” who learned hard knocks from the slum areas, to the prominent athlete, who made his country proud. But this column is not about the fame and fortune of this great boxer, who pummeled his way to victory against all odds. It is similar though. It is about three orphan children who, despite their poverty, defeated their opponents, and brought glory to this nation. However, unilike Pacquiano, they remain unrecognized by their people.
Elvira Torreon, now 16, was a streetchild, thrice apprehended for viagrancy in Tondo, Manila’s toughtest slum distirct. Her mother migrated to Manila, to care for her eight children, who found jobs as minors. Her father now deceased, remained in Boho. Due to lack of parental guidance and peer influence, Elvira dropped out of grade school and started life as a street vagrant. On her third apprehension, Elvira was detained at Manila’ Reception and Action Center. Her oldest sister, Prima Torreon, who became a Virlanie houseparent, sought Founder Dominique Lemay’s help. Taken in by Mother and Child Program, a joint project of AMADE Philippines and Virlanie, Elvira was converted from hard-core streetchild into an honor student. When integrated into Virlanie’s Gabay Buhay Home, she became junior staff, joined its Young Adults Program, and started learning Taekwondo under Virlanie’s Korean volunteer masters. Then she started winning Manila wide taekwondo competitions.
Someday, Elvira wants to become a lawyer to defend children from unspeakable abuses of predator police, which she sadly experienced.
Rachel Agustin, now 16, was found roaming with her brother aroudn the Sta. Ana Market in the midst of a supertyphoon. Their parnets had sepatated. Their mother abandoned them totally, and their alcoholic father, a tricycle driver, virtually abandoned his children to the streets. He slept in old cars in a junkyard and had no capacity to provide a home for his children even as he spent his earnings on gambling and drinking. When abandoned to Virlanie’s care, Rachel felt no tears for her father. There she started developing talents in singing and sports.
She hopes to become an engineer to build a large home for her family, a loving home she never experienced until Virlanie.
ANnalyn Cantago, now 16, was an abandoned extra-marital child. In 1997, Annalyn was temporaily placed in Virlanie because her foster mother, Virlanie’s Deputy Director Florence Caponong, head to attend a seminar abroad. Annaly, only 10 years old, never saw her foster parent alive again as Florence died in Germany. In 1998, Annalyn’s birth father also died. In distress, Annalyn suffered primary tuberculosis, and had to undergo six-month medication. She recovered under the guidance of Virlanie caregivers and started reaping academin honors and athletic awards in school competitions.
Last month, these three children left for Jincheon, Koreato participate in the 2003 World Taekwondo Hwarang Festival, with 32 coutnries competing in various Taekwondo events. These orphans were not provided with government support, not even the flashy sports jackets give Philippine Taekwondo Association members. They were trained by a single Korean martial arts instructor, Jimmy Oh, an interantional volunteer from the South Koran chapter of Virlanie Foundation, who believed in the raw courage of these children from the slums.
Jimmy Oh rigorously trained these Virlanie orphans every afternoon, even using the small garage space of Viralnie’s business office for their daily rituals. He taught these girls an unsual form of Taekwondo gymnastics dance, still unrecognized in the Taekwondo world. He made no mistake.
And win they did. Each garnered gold medals in their respective divisions, reaping honors for our country.
But there has been no recognition given them by the Philippine Olympics Committee or Philippne Sports Commission. There was no welcome parade at the airport. No courtesy call with the President was arranged by our sports officials. No parents welcomed them as these children had been abandoned at their tender ages. No neighborhood band cheered their return as they live in a commnunity not congeial to orphans lurking within the neighborhood.
Nonetheless, these orphans remain undaunted;prepared to go the long haul in achieving the best they can. After all, each of these children, possesses the heart of a champion.
