CARRYING THE WEIGHT of the Philippine flag on foreign mats, San Beda Red Jins Reymundo “Yom” Calamba III and Tor Timothy “Mot” Castillo battled through the international taekwondo circuit, with Castillo debuting at the 8th Asian Taekwondo Indonesia Open Championships in Jakarta last August and Calamba clinching a silver medal at the seventh Kim Un Yong Cup International Open in Seoul, South Korea last July.
Stepping beyond Philippine shores, the two Bedan athletes carried more than their own names into competition, bringing with them the discipline and pride instilled by the den they call home.
Competing against athletes from different countries, the two Red Jins faced a different kind of challenge, one where the weight of pressure becomes more apparent, as the carrying the Philippine flag met the lessons they had learned as Bedans.
For Castillo, the experience did not start with a deafening noise, but rather the silence that was caused by the nerves. Making his international debut at the eighth Asian Taekwondo Indonesia Open Championships, Castillo admitted that he was nervous knowing that it was his first time competing outside the country.
Representing the Philippines in the Men’s Bantamweight Under-63 kg division, Castillo fought through his Round of 32 match against Indonesia, closing it out with a dominant 2-0 victory after winning both rounds, 16-0.
The momentum was halted in the round of 16 against Kazakhstan. Castillo dropped both rounds, 1-13 and 2-12, ending his run in the tournament.
Despite falling short of a medal, the loss became part of a larger lesson.
“‘Di ko man nakuha ang medal pero alam kong someday kakayanin ko [din,]” Castillo said, emphasizing that the experience allowed him to assess the areas he still needed to improve to reach that goal that he desires to grasp.
Rather than understanding his defeat at the end of his campaign, Castillo saw it as a reason to be motivated and to train harder and become mentally tougher for the competitions ahead. Behind every victory that brought him to where he is now was the discipline required long before stepping onto the mat.
From training and maintaining his weight to managing the pressure of competition, Castillo credited that his strongest trait is his discipline, having it as the foundation that kept him grounded and competing on the world’s stage.
“Discipline is very important in Taekwondo,” Castillo said. “Because you will eventually learn to stand up and manage the pressure when you have discipline.”
While Castillo experienced his first international campaign, Calamba had already begun carving his own path not just beyond the country, but also extending past South-East Asia (SEA).
Battling in the Chuncheon Korea Open International Championships in the Under-54 kg division from July 18 to 22 , Calamba went head-to-head against Macao in a closely fought three-round bout. After taking the first round, 10-7, he dropped the succeeding rounds, 5-6 and 8-11.
But another international opportunity soon followed. At the seventh Kim Un Yong Cup International Open last July 25 to 28, Calamba fought his way onto the podium, showing his profound prowess of the sport and dismantling Korean opponents in the quarterfinals and semifinals before settling for silver in the finals against a fellow Filipino.
Calamba opened the quarterfinals with a commanding 13-6, 13-2 victory against Korea before showcasing another standout finish in the semifinals, winning 12-6 and 13-10.
The finals proved to be a different battle, not because the opponent is foreign, but rather came from the same native soil. Against the Philippines, Calamba fell 0-3 in the opening round but answered with a 4-3 victory in the second. The deciding round ended 2-4 in favor of his opponent, giving Calamba the silver medal.
For Calamba, however, the medal represented more than an accolade. “Isang karangalan po na makapaglaro sa international stage, bring some podium [finish] and medals po,” he said.
Behind that podium finish were sacrifices that extended beyond the competition itself. Demanding countless hours of training, weight-cutting, and early mornings, Calamba’s preparation forced him into the difficult balancing act of being both a student and an athlete.
Some training days began before sunrise, well ahead of his morning classes. Amid the exhaustion, the dreams he hold prevails, as he will continue to return to the same principles that shaped his journey: discipline and effort.
For both Red Jins, competing internationally became an exercise in carrying more than just their own names. Calamba saw representing the Philippines as a way of showing his pride as a Filipino, while Castillo carried the Bedan values of prayer, work, discipline, and perseverance into every stage of his campaign.
The international stage also gave them a wider perspective of where they currently stand, and where they still want to go.
For Castillo, facing world-class competition made him realize that there was still much to improve. Instead of discouraging him, the realization pushed him to become better. For Calamba, the silver medal became another step toward a bigger dream.
“I’m hoping na sana makapaglaro ako sa worlds,” Calamba said, before setting his sights even higher: the Olympics.
Different tournaments. Different opponents. Different journeys. But both Calamba and Castillo carried the Bedan pride beyond borders, echoing the same shade of red, and this time, with the colors of blue, white, and yellow of the Philippine flag.
For two Red Jins who once dreamed of seeing themselves on the international stage, the journey has only begun as the fight goes beyond the mat, and the next destination may just be beyond the islands of the Philippines.