With faith in God, De los Santos gifted to excel in karate

CEBU, Philippines —  For who he is and for all that he has achieved at this point of his life, decorated Cebuano karateka Orencio James “OJ” De los Santos acknowledged that more than his determination and competitive spirit, he owes everything to his unwavering faith in God.

Arguably one of the greatest karate fighters of his generation, De Los Santos had been representing the Philippines in various international tournaments, with multiple national titles and a pair of Southeast Asian (SEA) Games bronze medals under his belt.

When the global pandemic put the sporting world at a standstill last year, it did not stop the De Los Santos from pursuing his passion and making his country proud.

As of this September this year, the outstanding alumnus of PAREF-Springdale School for Boys has collected a total of 69 gold medals in countless online tilts he joined to galvanize his status as the world’s No.1 e-karateka.

For that, he received a special commendation from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and “Gawad Lasalyano 2020” award from his beloved alma mater De La Salle University-Manila.

Interestingly, the monumental feat of De los Santos wasn’t left unnoticed by the Catholic church through the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which gifted him with a 500 Years of Christianity (YOC) customized commemorative car plate in honor and recognition of his stirring exploits in the field of karate.

In celebration of the fifth centenary of Christianity in Phl, the Catholic church released 500 YOC commemorative home, business, and car plates to mark the once-in-lifetime event bearing the theme, “Gifted to Give”.

And De Los Santos was blessed enough to be among the recipients of the precious item for his strength, motivation and deep faith in God which serves as an inspiration to many.

“Four one-of-a-kind 500 YOC plates were presented to our four Olympic medalists (Hidilyn Diaz, Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial and Nesthy Petecio) in honor of their deep faith and service to the country through sports. I though to myself that it must be an amazing feeling to have such a specialized plate, they truly deserved it,” De los Santos wrote in his Facebook page.

“But to my surprise, I was later informed that a specialized 500 YOC commemorative plate was made for me as well, in recognition for my efforts as an eKarate athlete,” he continued.

De los Santos can’t thank God enough for giving him the athletic gift that he used an an instrument to give joy and pride to his fellow countrymen even in trying times. 

“With the achievement that I’ve made so far, it was not an easy journey. There were some bumps along the road especially now that we are living in this pandemic,” said a grateful De los Santos in a three-minute video expressing his appreciation for the distinct accolade bestowed upon him.

“But I always remind myself that no matter what situation we are in, whether it’s a good or bad situation, there is always an opportunity. God always gives as opportunities right in front of us but at the end of the day it’s up to us to take that opportunity or not.”

“I believe that these virtual tournaments, this is the opportunity that God gave me and I took it. With God’s help, with his grace, he made everything happened. And I am just very thankful and proud to be a Catholic. To still keep my faith in God very strong, because really guys, we may not realize the greatness that we have but God sees it, God knows your greatest potential. You just have to believe in God, believe in yourself, and know that God will always be there with you even during hard times,” De los Santos ended.