 |
| Globe Telecom CEO and president Ernest Cu and Chieffy Caligdong |
By Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon
Of the Philippine Azkals, we
are familiar with the more media-savvy members, especially the
Younghusbands, but there is one man who made a big contribution to
the Azkals' success and helped earn the national football team its
current fame and glory.
That he is 100-percent Pinoy
should make us even prouder of him. A versatile booter and soldier,
Emelio Caligdong, "Chieffy" as he is fondly called by his
teammates, is a left winger for the Philippine Air Force Football
Club (PAFFC), vice captain for the Philippine Azkals and sometimes
plays as a striker or supporting striker. As player of the PAFFC, he
is an enlisted airman of the PAF.
Born on Sept. 28, 1982, in
Pototan, Iloilo, Chieffy proved to his countrymen that once again,
one's grassroots and race don't matter to giving honor and pride to
your country, as he, together with his team, opened the door to local
sports buffs to a game that has never been popular in our
land―football.
A 2002 graduate from the
University of San Agustin with a degree in Commerce (Management),
this Ilonggo football star recalled his humble begginings. “I
started playing football without spikes, barefoot. At the age
of nine, I competed in the Palarong Pambansa and other
regional tournaments. I was in grade four at that time,
so the school provided regular equipment and that's when I
got my first football shoes. Very few people watched our games but
that did not deter us and we persevered until we started to be
noticed,” Chieffy reminisced.
When he was in second year high
school, Caligdong became part of the Under 21 team that represented
the country at the Bolkiah Cup. He made his debut in the 2004 Tiger
Cup, playing all four matches and scoring three goals. Two of those
goals came in the 89th and 92nd minute in the 2-1 win over
Timor-Leste, making it the first-ever victory of the Philippine team
in the Asean Football Championship.
Chieffy is proof that you don’t
need to be tall to do well in sports like football. Only 5’5”, he
wasn't intimidated by his opponents, and he managed to even outrun
even the tallest football players like Palestinians and Mongolians.
 |
| From left: Rob Nazal, Cu, Caligdong and Manchu Garcia |
“In football, what is
needed is speed and skills,” the 28-year-old Azkals member
stressed.
A veteran in the
international arena, Chieffy has been with the Philippine Azkals in
football competitions held in Asian countries such as Indonesia,
Thailand, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.
When the Philippine Azkals
faced the Mongolians in Bacolod City last year, Caligdong made sure
Filipinos would remember him. In that match, Chieffy scored an
awesome tunnel shot between the goalkeeper’s legs which left the
crowd in shock.
Being co-captain of the
Philippine Azkals, Chieffy always advises his teammates and those who
want to follow in the footsteps of the team that they must put in
hard work and discipline in training. According to him, the key to
his success is putting his heart and passion into all his endeavors.
“Always give your best
and develop confidence and dedication, these will assure success in
the games of life. We are truly blessed, thank God. Many blessings
came; it feels great that we have become popular, but I always remind
my teammates to remain humble and to keep their feet on the ground,”
Chieffy said.
He is true to his words,
because he has remained simple, generous and maintained a low-profile
despite his team's blessings and popularity.
In recognizing this, Globe
Telecom has named Chieffy as its newest ambassador for sports in its
campaign for sports development and advancement, specifically in the
promotion of football as a national sport.
"We are very excited to
welcome Chieffy as part of our roster of ambassadors. Chieffy will
play a very significant role in driving our sports advocacy of
supporting Philippine teams from the grassroots and sporting events
with meaningful social development goals," said Ernest Cu, Globe
president and CEO. "Chieffy is living proof that a homegrown
talent can figure prominently in the international sports arena,
giving all of us Filipinos the pride and honor of being represented
by a passionate sports icon like him.”
Chieffy will provide mentorship
support to the Green Archers Globe Football Club, a national football
team supported by Globe. He is expected to share his expertise and
experience in the sport, which will definitely give the team members
the motivation and inspiration when they play in the next United
Football League.
 |
| Cu, Caligdong and Nazal pose together with the Green Archers Globe Football Club |
“Globe
has been supportive of Philippine sports and it's a great honor to
partner with them. And add to that, as one of the best players in
Philippine Azkals, Chieffy will be a great contribution for my team
to inspire them better,” Manchu Garcia, Green Archers Globe team
manager, said.
Chieffy will also help in
strengthening the different sports teams composed of Globe employees
as well as participate in various corporate social responsibility
(CSR) programs which will further maximize his skills, presence and
influence.
"As CSR champion, we will
tap Chieffy to lead and conduct football clinics and engage a bigger
group of stakeholders to help raise awareness in the hope of
generating more pledges for our The Entire Nation (TEN) Moves
campaign," said Rob Nazal, head of Globe CSR.
TEN Moves is a campaign to
raise enough resources to build 10,000 classrooms in public schools
all over the country, with a main strategy of getting two million
people to donate P10 per day for 10 months.
 |
| The author with ABS-CBN sports reporter Dyan Castellejo |
 |
| The author with GMA-7 sports reporter Chino Trinidad |
Chieffy confided that there are
still so many things that he wants to achieve. He revealed his wish
to give back all the blessings he received to others like him who are
less fortunate in life. On top of that, he, in partnership with
Globe, will lead a football league in his hometown, to teach and
share to his kababayan what he learned in sports and in life
as well.
Life is one great football game
for Chieffy, who passed through many obstacles and challenges with
perseverance until he reached his goals and reaped the fruits of his
success.-- Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon
No comments:
Post a Comment