MANILA, Philippines — The concept of Filipino pride is usually connected to supporters of an athlete or an artist with Filipino heritage — with the fans being the ones beaming with pride.
So it's a welcomed change of pace when it is the other way around, with the person itself greatly acknowledging their Filipino heritage.
Such is what drives Filipino-Malaysian freestyle baller Scalia Nethanial, who has strong ties in his hometown of Basista in Pangasinan.
Speaking to Philstar.com, Nethanial shared his desire to always keep his Filipino identity in everything he did — even while he stays in Malaysia.
The only Filipino endorser of Puma Malaysia, Nethanial makes sure to flaunt the other half of his heritage every time he gets the chance.
"I always try to bring that Filipino flavor in my videos whenever I'm with Puma," said Nethanial who recently inked an extension with the athletic wear brand.
"Whether its the clothing, I always ask them to give me Filipino colors, or any way I can represent the country here," he said.
A five-time freestyle basketball champion in Malaysia, Nethanial puts giving back to his Filipino roots at the forefront of his every day grind.
"For me, the most important thing is representing my home town," he said.
"I wanted to shed some light... Like a kid from Basista in Pangasinan was able to do this," he continued.
And he can only hope that another Filipino kid with a dream out there, whether from Basista or not, can be motivated to follow their dreams because of him.
"That could inspire someone," Nethanial said of his journey.