MARK VELIGANILAO: Reaching His Basketball Dreams From The Far Province Of Bantayan Island

By: Zerjosh Serrano and Paul Tamayo

When Passion Sports first opened a basketball camp in Cebu City, tons of aspiring hoopers attended the event. After all, Cebu is one of the hotbeds of Philippine basketball so it’s just natural that Passion Sports’ camp garnered a lot of attention.

But we didn’t expect that a young player coming all the way from Bantayan Island would join the camp. Bantayan Island is a long, exhausting three-hour trip from the city proper of Cebu, but the young Mark Veliganilao was unfazed.

Mark was only 11 years of age when he developed a passion for playing basketball. It was through a Facebook post that Mark discovered that Passion Sports was about to launch a basketball camp, so he didn’t hesitate in planning his trip to the city, even if it’s very far from the province where he is living.

“Three hours po ang byahe ko mula sa bahay papunta sa Passion Sports camp. Nanghihiram lang po kami ng motor para lang makapunta doon. Kahit na malayo, dinadayo namin kasi gusto ko ma-improve yung dribbling at shooting ko. Gusto ko talaga matuto.”

Passion Sports, which is spearheaded by former PBA player Rob Labagala, prides itself in developing the players’ skills and values on and off the court. They don’t just teach basketball skills to these young athletes, but they also help them become better individuals outside the court.

Mark soon realized that it’s not enough for him to only focus on his basketball skills. Through Passion Sports, he learned the value of being a coachable player and a good teammate.

“Natutunan ko na mahalaga na magtiwala sa mga kakampi ko at makisama sa kanila. Natutunan ko din na laging i-respeto ang mga coaches, at sundin yung mga sinasabi nila na dapat namin gawin sa loob ng court.”

Mark never had the luxury of being mentored by a coach before he discovered Passion Sports. It’s rare that basketball camps would be held at Bantayan Island because it’s very far from the city, and people even ride a boat just to get there.

Now that he is a member of the basketball varsity team in Santa Fe National High School, Mark still dreams of a future where he could play for a school in Manila. Aside from that, he also wants to have his own basketball camp so that he could help kids like him in his province who want to learn more about the sport.

“Balang-araw, gusto ko na makapagtayo din ako ng sarili kong basketball camp para matulungan ko yung mga taga-dito sa amin sa probinsya. Hindi kasi talaga nakakapunta dito yung mga coaches at trainers na galing sa Cebu dahil sobrang malayo na yung lugar namin.

Gusto ko mag-improve pa sa basketball para matulungan ko din yung mga bata dito at maturuan ko sila.”

Even with the many challenges and disadvantages that block his path, Mark is still positive that he has what it takes to be an excellent basketball player. He wants to prove that even if he is from the province, he could still elevate his game just through sheer hardwork and dedication.

To put a close to our conversation, Mark also gave a piece of advice to other aspiring athletes who are experiencing the same challenges that he is going through.

“Kahit walang personal na nag-ttraining sayo, mag-practice ka lang. Sipagan mo lang at panigurado mag-iimprove ka. Importante na huwag ka mawalan ng tiwala sa sarili mo para mapatunayan mo sa lahat ng tao na kaya mo.”

 

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