KAGAY-ANONS were in high spirits on Tuesday night, December 10, as they gave their warmest welcome to boxer Carlo Paalam who flew back to Cagayan de Oro City following his win as SEA Games gold medalist in the Boxing Men's Light Flyweight category.
Paalam bagged on Monday the Philippines' first gold in boxing, winning via a unanimous decision against Indonesia's Langu Kornelis.
On the day of his homecoming, he was welcomed with warmth greetings of congratulations from his fellow Kagay-anons.
"Happy kay ko, syempre (Of course, I'm very happy). Pag abot nako diri sa Cagayan de Oro, wala ko kabala nga ing-ani diay (When I arrive here in Cagayan de Oro, I didn't know that this is going to happen)... na suprise ko nga ing-ani kadaghang tao nag welcome sa akoa (I'm surprised that a lot of people welcomed me)," Paalam said.
This 21-year-old gold medalist boxer is a product of the amateur boxing development program of City Mayor Oscar Moreno.
Prior to the start of his boxing career, Paalam said he was a young boy who roamed around Cagayan de Oro City to find money in order to provide food for his family.
It was coach Elmer Pamisa, the current head of the Cagayan de Oro Boxing team, who discovered his talent for boxing and encouraged him to earn money through this sport.
He, then, went through the amateur boxing development program of Moreno.
"I remembered when we started in December of 2004, from ground zero and now 15 years after, we have Carlo Paalam, SEA Games Champion," Moreno said.
Paalam expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Moreno, saying that the city mayor helped paved the way to his dreams.
"Salamat kaayo kay Mayor Moreno, dako kaayo ang akong pasalamat (Thank you to Mayor Moreno; thank you very much). Kun wala sya diri, wala ko diri pud (If he wasn't here, I wouldn't be here also). Siya sa gamay pa ko, naghatag sa akoa ug nagtulay sa akoa sa akong pangarap na maabot (He was there when I was young; he helped me reached my dream)," Paalam said.
"Sa una nagsuroy-suroy ra ko sa kilid-kilid para lang makakaon (I would just roam in the streets just to eat). Karon sobra ko ka happy nakahatag ko og dungog sa Cagayan de Oro (Now, I'm very happy that I am able to give honor to Cagayan de Oro)," he added.
Moreno said he was immeasurably happy for what Paalam has achieved, remarking that the boxer's win-which was no easy feat-is very inspiring not only for the Kagay-anons, but also the young boys in Northern Mindanao.
Paalam said he will be flying to Manila on December 16 to continue his training for the 2020 Olympic qualifying.
Moreno's message for Paalam: "Just play your game and be determined, be committed, all these obstacles you will overcome."
Paalam advised those who aspire to become boxers to be humble, disciplined, to not forget where they came from, and have faith in God.