Softball princesses need white knight

On July 29, our Philippine girls’ 16- to 18-year old softball team is slated to leave for the Little League World Championship in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with a very strong chance of coming home with the title. Once again, the Philippines is representing the Asia-Pacific region.

There’s only one problem. They don’t have the money to get to Kalamazoo.

“We approached the Philippine Sports Commission since we won the Asia-Pacific championship against Guam in Bacolod last June 25,” recounts Manila Councilor Che Borromeo, the team’s manager. “They told us the funds are going to be used for the Southeast Asian Games. They will just cover our travel tax exemption.”

In the remaining week before their scheduled departure, Team Philippines needs to raise about $45,000 more so that the 13 players, four coaches and one or two officials can make the trip. Half of the team, a collection of outstanding players from various school and local government squads, come from poor families - most from Negros - who are only able to study in Metro Manila because they are on softball scholarships.

Pitcher Veronica Belleza is from Murcia, Negros Occidental, and a second year college student at Rizal Technological University whose father died a few years ago, and whose mother is unemployed. Pitcher and outfielder Annalie Benjamen is a farmer’s daughter from a nearby barangay. Outfielder Glesyl Opjer is an auto mechanic’s daughter who grew up in Silay City. Second baseman Michelle Lentija’s father is a construction worker in Bacolod City. Catcher Clariz Palma’s father is a security guard likewise from Murcia. Shortstop Cindy Carol Banay is the child of a jeepney driver from Bago City. Outfielder Gene Joy Parilla, studying at the Caloocan campus of University of the East, grew up in Cagayan de Oro City. First baseman Rizza Bernardino is a tricycle driver’s daughter from Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Each of these strong, independent young women has transcended her difficult beginnings, learning softball anywhere from age five to 11, and transformed into a local, national and international champion softballer. Now, despite the financial constraints and the looming possibility that their sacrifice will go to waste, they are still training as hard as they can, even spending their weekends isolated at the campus of Adamson University to improve their bond with one another. They get up a 4:30 in the morning to run along Manila Bay to start their day. And they are not even allowed the use of their cell phones.

All this simply to be prepared should some white knight come to rescue their dream of going to the Little League Worlds.

“We have something to prove to ourselves if we are able to go,” says coach Ana Maria Santiago. “We need to show our sponsors and whoever helps us that we are doing our best to win.”

In 2001 and 2005, Team Philippines finished second runner-up in the Little League World Championship. In 2008 and 2010, they finished first runner-up. In the 2008 edition, the Philippines was leading host US two runs to one, when the very last American batter hit a solo home run to send the game into extra innings. In the second extra inning, with the score tied at one, the same thing happened, and the Filipinas lost a heartbreaker by one run.

“That’s why we feel people will help us, because we’ve proven that even if we come from a small country in Asia, we can beat the bigger countries in this sport,” declares Laura Lehmann, who has been playing softball since she was five years old. “And if you watch that game, you’ll see that we had more hits and more outs. It was just that one run.”

Once the team arrives on the East Coast, local Filipino communities will take care of their transportation, food and accommodations for tune-up games and the actual competition, although the girls will be split up into groups of two or three and cared for by various foster families. But here at home, their relative anonymity is also working against them.

“It’s also difficult because nobody knows about us,” admits Lehmann, one of three players on the team from International School Manila. “But if people find out about us and see how hard we work, they would want to help.”

The past two weeks, the team has been soliciting help from friends in media to publicize their dilemma. It has helped in bringing in small donations from private sponsors. But time and funds are short, and they need a miracle. The irony is that, on a frenzied sports weekend when multi-million dollar basketball players and insanely popular footballers are drawing huge, fanatical crowds, this platoon of driven, wholesome, attractive young champion Pinay athletes desperately needs a helping hand to fulfill their lifelong dreams. What the visiting NBA All-Stars earn in one weekend would help our whole girls softball team get a fair shot at a world championship.

They represent the best of our race. There must be a white knight willing to come to their rescue out there somewhere.