President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday congratulated Filipino artists and athletes who competed and won in various international events, thanking them for putting the country on the global map anew.
“’Yung pagkakilala sa mga Pilipino na magagaling kumanta, magagaling umarte, magaling sa arts talaga at saka sa kultura. Kaya’t thank you very much for the honor that you have brought to the country and the enjoyment that you give to so many people,” President Marcos said during a meet-and-greet in Malacañang.
“So keep up the good work guys and I’m sure you enjoy. Join as many tournaments as you can. Then that nervousness that comes before you go on the pitch will slowly dissipate and will start looking forward to it.”
He urged the artists and athletes to continue bringing glory to the Philippines, saying the very important part of their achievement is highlighting the grand tradition of Filipino artists and athletes and putting the Philippines once again on the global map.
“The Philippines and people will remember us once more as this grand culture with such great capacity, with such great potential that you are now showing the rest of the world. Thank you once again for all that you have done.”
The country, he said, has a lot of potential in sports and it can produce great players through dedication, hard training, and proper coaching.
Among those who paid a courtesy to the President include Filipino singer Jex Marc De Castro; boxers Melvin O. Jerusalem, Charly C. Suarez, and Marlon T. Tapales; the Makati Football Club (MFC); and the Philippine Men’s National Ice Hockey Team, together with their respective team members.
The athletes and artists won in various international competitions from January to April 2023.
De Castro, the 5th Filipino Grand Prix winner, won the Stars of the Albion Grand Prix Title (singing category) in the Euro Talent Festival 2023 held last March in London, United Kingdom.
Pugilist Melvin Jerusalem won the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) Mini Flyweight World Title via a technical knockout (TKO) against Japanese boxer Masataka Taniguchi on January 6, 2023.
Charly Suarez, another Filipino boxer, won the International Boxing Organization’s World Eliminator on March 15, 2023 against the formerly undefeated Australian boxer Paul Fleming via a TKO.
Also meeting the President was Marlon Tapales, who clinched the IBF World Super Bantamweight Title and the WBA World Super Bantamweight Title against Uzbekistan boxer Murodjon “MJ” Akhmadaliev via split decision on April 8, 2023.
On the other hand, the MFC, founded in 1976, has over 1,000 players nationwide and has been representing the Philippines in international competitions since 1983. It won the Paul Parker Overall Championship in the Junior Soccer School and League (JSSL) Singapore Academy 7s 2023 on April 7-9, 2023.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Men’s National Ice Hockey Team bagged gold in its debut at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV, held on March 23-26, 2023 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The championship title also promoted the Philippines to Division IIIB in the next season. #
