Carlo Paalam may have failed in his bid to snare a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics but his family couldn’t care less.
To them, he will always be a winner.
“It doesn’t matter that he ended up with a silver medal. For us, my son will always be a gold medalist. My son, you are the gold in our lives,” Paalam’s father, Pio Reo, said in the vernacular minutes after the first-time Olympian’s split decision loss to Great Britain’s Galal Yafai in the flyweight division at the Kokugikan Arena Saturday afternoon.
Paalam’s family, relatives, and friends watched the bout on television at the house of his girlfriend, Stephanie Sepulveda, in Barangay Kauswagan here.
From being a scavenger to help his family, reaching the Olympics already made Paalam a winner even before his first match.
“Even at his young age, he made it this far. Our son has a very bright future in boxing,” his mother, Jocelyn, said in an interview at Sepulveda’s house.
She did not watch the final bout as the mere shouting of her companions made her nervous.
Michelyn Mae said it did not matter what medal his brother won.
“What’s important is he was doing okay. He did not sustain any injuries. It was a miracle he was able to make it after days of fighting. What we prayed for were his safety and well-being. The medal is just secondary,” she said.
“We are so proud of him. The whole country is proud of him. He fought opponents with titles and yet he was able to prevail. He is a great fighter. Even if it was his first time in the Olympics, he already won silver. That’s more than we can ask for,” she added.
Sepulveda said she was disappointed at first that Paalam didn’t get the gold.
“Even though he did not win that gold, still, I am grateful to God. A silver is still a big achievement,” she told the Philippine News Agency, adding that Paalam promised to buy his family’s needs with his earnings.
Windfall
Paalam’s silver medal will enable him to fulfill that promise.
Immediately after the match, various businessmen and companies here publicly announced their rewards for the young boxer.
A property developer in Visayas and Mindanao, Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI), announced it will gift Paalam with a PHP3.6-million house and lot in its subdivision project, Velmiro Uptown CDO, located in Upper Canitoan.
In a statement, CLI said Paalam, who was born in Talakag, Bukidnon, is an inspiration for turning his life around.
“We are very proud of Carlo’s achievement and want to take part in uplifting his quality of life especially when it comes to housing. He deserves to live well, and we hope his family will enjoy their new home in our Velmiro Heights community in CDO. We look forward to welcoming him home,” Jose Soberano III, CLI chair and chief executive officer, stated on Saturday.
Odyssey Driving School will offer full course driving lessons to Paalam, including 10 of his chosen relatives.
Local cable and Internet service provider, Parasat HD, will provide a 100-Mbps (megabits per second) fiber connection for two years, which also includes a high-definition cable to use with his 65-inch flatscreen television from Denmark Corporation.
The Shave Bar also offered a lifetime free haircut for Paalam.
As mandated by Republic Act 10699, or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, Paalam will get PHP5 million while other pledges have assured him of a total PHP17 million in cash to date.
Source: Philippines News Agency
