Forgotten hero at death’s door

MANILA, Philippines - In 1964, boxer Anthony Villanueva returned to Manila from the Tokyo Olympics and was feted with a ticker-tape parade for bagging a silver medal in the featherweight division. He came home a hero, later appeared in movies and had a brief career as a pro. Today, Villanueva is bed-ridden in a Cabuyao apartment, his body in a state of atrophic contortion, his feet swollen due to kidney malfunction and his heart diagnosed with abnormalities. He receives P7,000 a month as pension from the Philippine Sports Commission but it’s hardly enough to put food on the table for his wife Liezel, their 15-year-old son Joey, take care of the monthly rent of P5,000 and pay for his medication. His wife sells vegetables and food condiments through an open window in their apartment to bring in some income yet the unpaid bills are mounting.

Villanueva, 69, is at death’s door. Dr. Hana Marie Biagtan of the Calamba Medical Center suggested confinement for Villanueva a week ago but his wife said there’s no money to pay for it. Mary Grace Vida, a social worker from Cabuyao, said Villanueva’s wife cried and broke down when a cardiologist suspected a coronary artery disease afflicting the former fighter. If Villanueva isn’t treated, he’ll wither away and die. As it is, he is curled up in bed all day, unable to speak, the zest for life drained from what was once a supple boxer’s body.

Broadcaster Chino Trinidad visited Villanueva recently and couldn’t imagine how a genuine Filipino sports hero has been relegated to ignominy. Trinidad recently launched a noble project to pay tribute to Filipino sports legends and will stage the “Gabi Ng Pagpupugay” at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of the Resorts World on June 12 through the Taas Noo Inc. which he formed with Efren (Bata) Reyes, Paeng Nepomuceno, Eugene Torre, Alvin Patrimonio, Bong Coo and Elma Muros.

Trinidad said Villanueva will be one of 19 greats to be honored that night. “I’m praying that Anthony will be able to attend, even in a wheelchair but unless he receives treatment right now, it might be too late to save him,” said Trinidad. “He’s taking five kinds of medicine but doctors want to confine him. Liezel, his wife, recently entrusted the care of their small store to a sibling when she took Anthony to the hospital for a check-up and when they got back home, the store was wiped out with not a single centavo earned. Now, she wants to close the store but where will they get the extra income to pay for their bills? Anthony needs to take a 2D Echo test and doctors are prescribing a complete lab and diagnostic procedure.”

After claiming a silver medal in Tokyo, Villanueva turned pro and posted a 4-3 record. He tried his luck as an actor and even appeared in a movie “Salonga Brothers” with now Manila Mayor and former President Joseph Estrada. Eventually, Villanueva gave up boxing and acting to migrate to the US in 1976. Finding odd jobs to make a living, Villanueva worked as a cook in a Mexican restaurant in Massachusetts and a security guard at a hospital in Staten Island. He taught boxing in private gyms and was also employed as a security guard at the Philippine consulate in New York City. Villanueva went back home in 1988, joined the coaching staff of the Philippine boxing team for the Seoul Olympics then returned to the US when there was no steady job available here. As options dried up in the US, Villanueva decided to come home for good.

In all, Villanueva has four children, Avery, 43, and Agatha, 41, with his first wife, Jose, 18, with another woman and Joey with Liezel.

“While Anthony’s story is depressing, we should be inspired to do something positive for our heroes before it’s too late,” said Trinidad. “He has tried to sell his Olympic silver medal thrice, the first time to the late Eugene Puyat. Now, the medal is in the PSC museum. Anthony used to receive a P3,000 monthly allowance for medicine over his P7,000 pension but that has been cancelled. Liezel is lucky to net P200 a day from selling vegetables and food condiments. The problem is they’re shutting down the store. Anthony lies in a bed without a mattress. He needs medical attention but has no money to pay for it. He can’t talk, he can’t walk. He has heart murmurs, his feet are swollen. His body is shriveled up. Time is running out on poor Anthony.”

Trinidad said his “Pagpupugay” project will start with an exhibit of Philippine sports artifacts lining the entire Resorts World lobby to open on June 1. The exhibit will be augmented by three 52-inch LG video monitors reliving the greatest moments of Philippine sports on film. Villanueva’s Olympic exploits will be a prominent feature in the exhibit. Trinidad said it will be a sad reminder of how the country’s sports heroes are ignored after their glory days are gone.