YESTERDAY is done, the future is not set, but we got the present.
A lot has changed in the way we do things one and a half years into the pandemic. I have constantly been writing about it since the start of the pandemic in 2020. While many have changed, a lot has also adapted to the change and has become champions in their different fields, sports included.
Among the many sports champions that have adapted are people I know and have worked with. They have turned the pandemic into a positive experience for their circles.
Recognizing these champions is New Balance thru their #WeGotNow advocacy.
Last Wednesday, New Balance, thru their retailer MAP Active Philippines Inc., unveiled this advocacy highlighting inspiring stories of Filipino perseverance amidst the challenges of the pandemic.
The stories of Coach Louie Gonzales of JRU Basketball, former URCC Flyweight Champion Geli Bulaong, and our very own, Coach Noli Ayo, AdDU Athletics director, were in the spotlight.
Through these champions, New Balance will donate over 300 pairs of shoes to deserving, underserved communities in Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Davao, and the Barmm.
Of the three champions, I had the chance to work with Coach Louie and Coach Noli.
Coach Louie during my stint at the Philippine Sports Institute and Coach Noli when I was with AdDU Athletics. Both of them are very inspiring sports personalities making their actions speak for their works. Coach
Louie is never hesitant to share his basketball knowledge with fellow coaches that eventually led to LGonz Corner, a Facebook group for coaches where sharing of inputs and resources happens.
Coach Noli is also very generous in sharing his networks and including people in them. Since he arrived in Mindanao, he has been doing it, and it has opened up a lot of opportunities for Mindanaons, including our Muslim brothers and sisters in the Barmm.
I look forward to engaging Geli in her advocacy against Osec (Online Sexual Exploitation of Children) through their advocacy Fight to Protect. These three individuals are indeed champions and symbols of hope in this time when uncertainty, fear, and anxiety reign. Yesterday is done; we can only think about the ifs. We cannot preset the future. However, we got the present. The present allows us to look back. It will enable us to prepare for the future.
And if we play it right, #WeGotNow to make it happen.