A shoe auction for the greater good
MANILA, Philippines — “Sometimes, we have to make personal sacrifices for the greater good.”
Cainta Mayor Johnielle “Kit” Nieto II admitted such when he began auctioning off his personal collection of top quality kicks yesterday, April 14.
“I had to ponder quite before doing this,” said the first-term mayor told Phlilstar.com. “But it wasn’t difficult to let go. Aanhin naman natin yung sapatos kung wala naman makain?”
Nieto’s auctioning off his collection, which started almost a decade ago, in order to boost the amelioration fund for his constituents. “I knew what we have and what is provided by the government is not enough. Shoes are something personal. You choose rubber shoes based on taste and they aren’t exactly cheap. And you take care of them. By willing to let go of these personal effects, this will help mitigate the ill feelings that have been spawned by this pandemic.”
The Cainta mayor, known as an avid Air Jordan collector, is auctioning off at least three pairs of shoes per day. On the first day of his auction that saw his Air Jordan XI, Air Force and Spider-Man themed-Nikes fetched for a collective P132,000.
“I will be auctioning off three pairs per day and I think I have enough to last until the quarantine ends. If it is extended again — and I hope not — I think we will still have enough to auction,” added Nieto.
“My nephew, Matt Nieto, who played for Ateneo and now is with Gilas. He is a Nike Ambassador and because of that, receives shows. He gives me some and these are among the shoes that I am also letting go.”
“During UAAP Season 80, when we (the Ateneo Blue Eagles) were underdogs, we began a ritual,” shared Matt Nieto. “The night before a game, we’d make it a point to talk for at least an hour about our opponent and our mindset. And if we’d win, I’d give him three pairs of shoes. So during my final season (UAAP Season 83 where the Blue Eagles went 16-0), tuloy tuloy yung pagbigay ko ng sapatos. He accumulated a lot.”
Matt greatly added to my collection and it’s always hard to part with gifts, but there are people who need help,” clarified the mayor. “And we are also receiving donations from private collectors to help out with our auction and relief efforts.”
“I was in high school in Ateneo when Michael Jordan was a rookie so I grew up watching him from his rookie season all the way to his championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. That explains why I am a Jordan (brand) collector.”
“The first day of the auction was good and the money we made for this greatly helps our community,” summed up Mayor Kit. “And every day we move forward is something for our community and nation’s future.”
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