Three Fil-Brit kids could be future Azkals

LONDON – Three Filipino-British boys are on their way to becoming Azkals of the future. Marcus Villalba Smith, 13, is the oldest of the kids whose parents are former Hong Kong rugby player Jeremy Smith and Cagayan de Oro native Suzanne Villalba. His brothers are Lucas, 11, and Thomas, 9. The Smiths live in Brighton, about a 45-minute train ride from Central London.

Marcus was recently offered to train with the Tottenham Hotspurs Academy but his mother said driving him to the city two hours one way and two hours back would be too harsh on his schedule. Marcus is now on a sports scholarship at Brighton College. Lucas is on an academic scholarship at the same school while Thomas looms as a candidate for either a sports or academic grant. They’re heavily involved in football, rugby and cricket, depending on the season, but their favorite sport is football. Their football loyalties, however, are divided as Marcus cheers for Manchester United, Lucas for Liverpool and Thomas for Arsenal.

Suzanne was a former Cathay Pacific flight attendant. Her husband was assigned in Manila for nearly 10 years with the UK property development company Jones Lang LaSalle. While in Manila, Jeremy supported the Volcanoes program with coach Matt Cullen and played rugby at the Nomads pitch in Merville Park. A highlight of Jeremy’s athletic adventures was playing for the Hong Kong team in an international rugby competition. The Smiths relocated to Brighton, where Jeremy is from, last year. Jeremy now works for Citibank Properties in London.

“It’s wonderful to see our kids so involved in sports,” said Suzanne who was married to Jeremy in a Cagayan de Oro ceremony. “Today, so many kids would rather stay in their rooms, watch TV or play computer games. We encourage our kids to play. It’s through sports where they learn the values of hard work, sacrifice, discipline and teamwork. They’re able to interact with kids of other ethnic origins and play together.”

The Smiths own a home in Punta Fuego and will spend Christmas in Nasugbu, Batangas.  The boys grew up in the Philippines and their parents want them to keep close ties with their Filipino relatives. Playing for the Azkals would be a dream come true for the three brothers. They know of the Younghusbands and the other Fil-British players who’ve made an impact with the Azkals in international football.

Suzanne’s brother Andy has lived in England for over 20 years and is a leader in the Filipino community. Andy’s advocacy is health care portability which he is enthusiastically lobbying for in behalf of overseas workers.

“Overseas workers, particularly Filipinos, enjoy health care benefits abroad but aren’t able to enjoy those benefits when they go back to their home countries,” he said. “We want the health care benefits to be transportable to anywhere in the world.”

To promote health care portability, Andy produced a movie entitled “Leona Calderon” which will be premiered at the Sundance Movie Festival in London this November. The 80-minute film stars Pilar Pilapil, British actress Virginia McKenna, Junix Inocian and Irene Alano. It was directed by Jowee Morel.

“We shot the film almost entirely in England,” said Villalba. “We also did a scene in Malapascua, Cebu, in a dream sequence recalling Leona’s childhood. Leona is a feisty Filipina domestic worker in the UK who is stricken with cancer and has to decide whether to be treated in the Philippines without health benefits but with family around her or in the UK with health benefits but living alone. Leona is played by Pilar Pilapil who spent about three months in London while we filmed, edited and finished the movie.” Andy said the budget for the film was raised by several producers including his sister Suzanne and Angel Arando, a Filipino living in London. During a visit to Manila last year, Andy called on Sens. Ping Lacson, Koko Pimentel and Serge Osmeña to ask for support in his campaign for health care portability.

Another project Andy is involved in is sports development for the youth. He organized the Philippine Football United team that won the Division II championship in the Heartfordshire League last season. Andy works with former Premier League player Roy Low, 68, in setting up camps for kids in the 11-15 age bracket. Low’s wife is Filipina and their Fil-British son E. J., 17, is an Azkals prospect, too.

Andy, 44, and Spanish wife Victoria, an environmentalist, are advocates of various community-related causes. Andy, a paralegal with Charles Annon Solicitors, played varsity basketball in elementary and high school at Ateneo de Cagayan then moved to London where he earned a Hotel and Restaurant Management degree at the Cavendish School as a Rocco Forte scholar. Andy organized two get-togethers for the Philippine delegation with the Filipino community during the recent Olympics.