16-year-old Student in Comatose after DepEd Boxing Competition
Filipino children who aspire to rise up from pit of hunger often consider education as a form of scapegoat from poverty. To a higher extent, they mull over excelling in sports or other publicity to fast track their way to success. Some children were given the chance to do both.
They are being admitted to school and given free education, provided that they will serve as a varsity and represent the school in upcoming tournaments. The better performance that they show, the better incentives that they will receive.
Sports are not only limited to basketball, volleyball, sepak takraw, baseball and football. Combat sports like, Taekwondo, Judo, Karate and Boxing are also included in major inter-school competitions. DepEd or Department of Education, conducts sporting events on every students, and boxing is included as one of those events.
Recently, a high school student went into a coma after competing in a boxing match in a Department of Education-sanctioned regional athletics tournament in Iba, Zambales last Monday. Initial reports said Jonas Joshua Garcia, 16, of San Miguel, Bulacan was competing in a boxing match at the Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association meet when he complained of dizziness at the second round of the match.
Garcia was rushed to the provincial hospital the moment the fight was stopped. The admitting physician said Garcia suffered internal hemorrhage and is now in a state of comatose.
The organizers of the athletic meet and the tournament manager denied any slackness on their part and claimed it was an isolated mishap.
However, Bulacan team has immediately withdrawn all 10 amateur boxers from the tournament. The team will also suggest to the DepEd superintendent to abolish all combative sports such as boxing , taekwondo and arnis in future athletic events of DepEd.
This may serve as a good news for some because there will be no young and innocent combat sports casualties anymore. But the moment these events are abolished because of this isolated case, it will also be the time to close their gates in producing future combat sports standouts which can also be our country’s pride like Manny Pacquiao.