HAVING lived in a house made of tarp and wood with her family while they stayed in Bago Gallera, Davao City from 2002 to 2010 made newly-crowned Aiba Women’s World Boxing champion Nesthy Alcayde Petecio prouder of what she recently achieved in Ulan-Ede, Russia.
She is set to receive P1 million cash incentive from the national government through the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) after she clinched the women’s featherweight gold medal in a split decision win over Russian Liudmila Vorontsove last Sunday, October 13 (Philippine time). She will buy a farm lot and also complete their house construction in Barangay Tuban, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
“Para ni sa akong pamilya ako sakripisyo always Mam. Starting pa lang nga nag boxing ko para ni nila jud. Sa Bago pami atong trapal among balay Mam pero never jud ko naulaw ato. Kay proud pa gani ko kay wala mi gisagasaan nga mga tao bisan pa ilaha mi gina down. Naay Ginoo naglantaw permi namo (My sacrifices are for my family ever since I started boxing. We were still in Bago Gallera when we lived in a house made of tarp but I was never ashamed of it. I was even proud that we never took advantage of anyone. God was always there watching over us),” she told SunStar Davao in a Facebook interview while onboard a plane bound for Manila yesterday morning.
Their Bago home for eight years was built by her father who used to work by collecting chicken dung and put in a sack at Iluminada Farms.
Their Tuban home currently has three rooms, thus, she plans to extend it with two new rooms since their family is huge. She was pertaining to parents Teodoro and Prescilla Petecio. The latter has two children from her first husband - Jhunpre Alcayde Buot (32 years old) and Hancel (29). Nesthy (27), Nice Zzaa (25), Norlan (17), Neftali (14) and Nejie (10) are children of Teodoro and Prescilla. Nice Zzaa and Norlan are also members of the national boxing team/training pool.
“Daghan pa kulang Mam. Pero mahuman na jud nako amoa gamay nga mansyon. Sauna trapal lang amoa balay, puyo balay nga dili sa amo. Karun naa na jud mi amoa maingon nga amo ning balay! Thanks God (Our house still needs a lot of work but it will soon be finished. We only used to live in a tarp house or live in somebody else’s home. But we can now have a home we can call our own, thank God!),” she said.
She bared that she already claimed the gold even on the eve of her championship bout against Vorontsove as she had confidence in God.
She added, “Buo kaayo akong huna-huna og akong puso nga ako ang gold. Mao na dagan sa akong isip og dughan sa mga orasa nato og wala ko gibigo sa Ginoo. Buutan kaayo ang Ginoo (I was set in my mind and heart to win the gold, that’s what consumed me that time and God did not fail me. God is really good).”
Though she was nervous facing the Russian bet who was cheered on by her hometown fans, Petecio shrugged off negative thoughts of defeat. She didn’t want to lose again to a Russian, a fate that befell her during the 2015 Aiba Women’s World Boxing Championships 2015 wherein she settled for silver.
“Sa tanang tao nga gasalig nako og padayun nga nagsalig sa akoa. Daghan kaayo salamat ninyo. Dili nako maexplain ang ako kalipay karun labi na para sa akong pamilya ni tanan. Sa akong mga coaches Nolito Velasco, Reynaldo Galido, salamat sa inyoha support og pagtuo. Sa Abap family nako, kay Sir Ricky Vargas, Sir Ed Picson, Mam Karina and Sir MVP, kay PSC chairman Ramirez og Commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey; sa University of Baguio, to President Duterte, sa pamilya nako, sa tanang friends nakong kaila, mga Pinoy sa Winnipeg, Canada. Sa akong uyab Alexa, mga igsoon nako. Sa mga taong nagtabang kung asa ko karun - Coach Roel Velasco og Sir (Dodong) Revamonte. Sa tanan tanan na. Labi na sa Ginoo. Daghan kaayong salamat sa pagtuo og suporta ninyo,” she said.
(To all those who continue to believe in me, thank you. I can’t explain the joy I’m feeling right now considering that this is all for my family. To my coaches Nolito Velasco, Reynaldo Galido, thank you for your support and trust. To my Abap family - Sir Ricky Vargas, Sir Ed Picson, Mam Karina and Sir MVP; to PSC chairman Butch Ramirez and Commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey; to the University of Baguio, to President Duterte, to my family, friends, to Filipinos in Winnipeg, Canada; to my girlfriend and my siblings; and to all those who helped me be where I am today - Coach Roel Velasco and Sir Dodong Revamonte. To everyone, especially to God, thank you!)
She made special mention of her father who became her first mentor. Without him, she said, she could not achieve so much in amateur boxing.
Petecio arrived in the afternoon of October 15 with the rest of the national women’s boxing team.