A kid who can’t even afford shoes, grows up to become the NCAA Season 95 Most Valuable Player (MVP)! And he admits to not even liking basketball as a kid!

Becoming a Basketball Star

Sharing his story on Facebook page “Im a Baller”, San Beda University’s forward Calvin Oftana wowed netizens as he narrated the challenging road he took before becoming a basketball star.

With Calvin earning the distinction as the Most Valuable Player award for the NCAA Season 95, everyone assumed that he breathed basketball even before he learned to walk! That’s how so many athletes began, anyway.

But Calvin admits that basketball was the last thing on his mind while growing up.

Back in his hometown in Siaton, Negros Oriental, he represented Bonbonon Elementary School in Track and Field, winning the 100-meter dash at the District Meet back in Grade 5. His school adviser urged him to play basketball because his height is a great advantage.

He began playing basketball and later became part of the town’s Siaton Basketball Team. They finished fourth after playing against many teams all over the province of Negros Oriental. But he didn’t think much about it. He didn’t really like basketball, anyway.

In high school, he left basketball to focus on volleyball. He and his friends would even make letters to ask permission so they could borrow a ball to play with.

One day, he and his friends thought about making a makeshift basketball ring using steel bar and a water hose. His love for the basketball anime series ‘Slam Dunk’ plus the makeshift basketball ring would soon help him develop an interest in the sport.

He began watching YouTube tutorials and videos about playing basketball. He began joining games for ‘Liga ng Barangay’.

“That time may mga league na sa town namin which is naglalaro ako both senior and junior. Sa junior team namin sobrang saya na nakakapagod dahil we need to solicit pa para magkauniform. 😅 Naghahakut kami ng buhangin para lang sa jersey. Haha yun yung dko makakalimutan sa mga tropa ko,” Calvin shared.

“Pinapahiram pa ako ng sapatos ng isa kung teammate dahil wala akong masuot that time thanks to you HARDISK ANQUE at hindi ko pa nabalik sapatos nya ay nasira na 😅Shoutout sa BONBONON KUROKU BASKETBALL hahaha.”

He was picked to join the team that represented Negros Oriental in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVRAA) meet. Although the team didn’t win, he got the attention of Asian College head coach, Michael Villahermosa. He was offered full college scholarship. He studied for 2 years at Asian College before his journey led him to San Beda College.

For someone from the province, it was a huge challenge for Calvin to adjust with his life in the big city. But he found a father figure in Coach Boyet Fernandez. His teammates would also become good friends.

For NCAA Season 95, the team failed to win the championship trophy but Calvin went home as the season’s MVP!

“Getting the MVP award is Nothing to Me, oo REWARD sya sa pagpunta ko ng maaga sa court, pag eextra work, pero that MVP award is NOTHING WITHOUT MY TEAMMATES and my COACHES. They work so hard para makuha ko yun at nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila talaga. Ang GOAL talaga namin noon is to WIN THAT TITLE,” Calvin explained.

Just like other athletes, he hopes to play pro. And that might be within his reach soon…

What’s the NCAA?

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is an athletics association of ten colleges and universities in the Philippines. It is not affiliated with the NCAA of the US but is often the place for scouts to find players for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the Philippines’ professional basketball league.

A heartbreaking moment shows a boy crying as his stepdad leaves for work – and it has tugged at netizens’ heartstrings.

Late for Work

Parents all over the world know the heartbreak of leaving for work, with their young kids crying as they stop their parents from leaving. Kids simply want to spend more time with their parents and could not understand why they have to leave for work.

Jezza Vasquez witnessed the heartbreaking moment a kid ran after his stepdad, asking for hugs and cuddles. The loving kid did not want his stepdad to go away, especially because his mom had already gone to work as well.

According to Vasquez, her heart broke after seeing the sweet moment between the two. In her post on Facebook, she shared the pictures and thanked delivery riders such as this guy who works for Streetby Delivery. She acknowledged the sacrifices these riders make each day as they leave their families to work.

Vasquez would urge netizens not to get if the riders are delayed.

“Let’s be compassionate sa atong frontliners,” Vasquez added.

Kiana Castillo, the child’s mother, said that her partner is not actually the boy’s dad, yet he loves the boy as his own – and the kid also loves him as his dad!

“Hindi niya po baby ang anak ko pero tinuring niya pong anak at tinulungan niya po akong buhayin ang munti naming pamilya nang walang tanong at panghuhusga sa aming nakaraan,” said Castillo.

Kudos to this rider!

Separation Anxiety in Toddlers

It is natural for children, particularly toddlers, to feel separation anxiety particularly every time their parents leave for work. For these kids, they feel that they might lose their parents, knowing that they would be away for a long time while at work – and those 8 hours you spend at work might already seem like forever to kids!

To ease separation anxiety, try the following:

• Schedule separations when the child is napping, feeding, or busy playing.
• Develop a quick goodbye ritual.
• Leave without fanfare so the kids won’t feel too sad.
• Make sure the child has a caring, loving, reliable caregiver who will make him/her feel secure and happy while you’re out.
• Don’t make false promises like buying them something so they will let you leave. If you promise something, follow through with the promise.

A security guard tutors a street kid, teaching him to read and write. For his kind deed, this young security guard would go viral, with netizens praising him for sharing his knowledge with this boy.

Security Guard as Tutor

It is not something that one would expect to see in the streets. Thus, when John Robert Flores spotted a security guard giving free lessons to a street kid while he was on duty outside a pawnshop, he quickly snapped some pictures. It was a great act of kindness that deserves to go viral, he knew.

Flores shared the photos of the security, writing that they had spotted the sweet act of kindness while walking near a Palawan Pawnshop close to Arellano University in Manila. The security guard was patiently teaching the kid how to read and write.

“Nakakaproud lang kasi kahit di nya kaano-ano but still tinuruan nya parin kasi may busilak siyang puso ❤. I salute you kuyang SG. Sana patuloy ka pa rin bigyan ng blessings ni Lord dahil sa [may] mabuti at busilak kang puso para matulungan ang batang ‘yan,” Flores wrote.

He would also reveal later that they had seen the same security guard also teaching several other kids, but this is the only time he thought of taking a photo. It seems that this young man has a big heart for the street kids and hopes that he could help them in learning how to read and write. Isn’t that sweet?

Some netizens commented that if this security guard could teach the street kids, then there is no reason why parents can’t also do it amid this pandemic when everyone is told to stay at home.

What Age to Learn Reading and Writing

For most kids, learning how to read and write begins in preschool but is often only achieved depending on the child’s capabilities. Some kids learn how to read and write as early as 2 years old while others do it by the time they are 6 or 7 years old. Sadly, there are those who learn much later due to lack of resources.