Rolando Tabal Sr., (above) shows his daughter Mary Joy Tabal’s massive collection of medals and awards which the Southeast Asian Games marathon champion (right photo) amassed from winning races and excelling in school.
The sleepy, Cebu City mountain barangay of Guba erupted into life last Saturday when one of its own, Mary Joy Tabal captured the country’s first gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games with a dominating performance in women’s marathon.
That particular morning, farmers trooped to their fields with non-stop talk about the petite Cebuana runner who, just two months ago was dropped from the national team like someone afflicted with leprosy.
Ronnie Joseph Gonzales, Tabal’s first coach.
Housewives gathered at their favorite sari-sari store proud and overjoyed that their placid barangay is now basking in national spotlight because of the honor brought by the talented and persevering runner they knew years ago as the little girl who can’t seem to stop from running.
Barangay Guba is 24 kilometers away from the heart of Cebu City. Surrounded by mountains and rolling terrain, it is believed by experts as an ideal spot for endurance athletes like Mary Joy.
Cebu Daily News visited the place on Tuesday to seek out the very few people who helped shape Mary Joy Tabal into what she is today – the undisputed marathon queen of southeast Asia. And we got a truckload from her father, Rolando Tabal Sr., her fourth grade teacher Eugeany Elarcosa, Guba’s barangay captain Orlan Herrera and Tabal’s very first coach, Ronnie Joseph Gonzales who spotted Tabal’s potential in one of their Physical Education (PE) sessions.
Like father
According to Rolando, his ‘Joy-joy’ inherited his adventurous and athletic traits. The 58-year old retired member of the Philippine Constabulary said he loves action and adventure especially when he was assigned in Negros and Bohol in the 1980s at the height of the insurgency movement.
Rolando describes Joy as a “very obedient and loving daughter” who runs up and down the steep hills in their barangay whenever she was asked to buy something “because she never wanted to be late.”
The only athlete and second of four siblings, Mary Joy spent for the education of their youngest, Mary Grace from the money she won from different races.
“All of them are now degree holders and I am proud that Joy-joy helped Mary Grace finish her studies,” said Rolando of his 28-year-old daughter.
He said that Joy called him before Saturday’s race and promised that she would never leave Malaysia without the gold medal. He said he cried when he learned that Joy won from a relative who watched a live streaming.
Rolando also admitted that he was hurt when Mary Joy was accused by Patafa of violating several rules.
“I know in my heart that my daughter would never do such things that they were accusing her of. I asked my children to pray hard that she will be included in the national team and thank God she made it,” added Rolando.
Rolando also showed Mary Joy’s huge medal collection displayed in their living room. He said that not all of the medals are from winning races because many of them come from Joy’s academic achievements.
Eugeany Elarcosa (left), Tabal’s fourth grade teacher at the Guba Elementary School, talks about Mary Joy. With her are the student athletes of the school under Tabal’s grassroots program.
Honor student
Joy’s fourth grade adviser, Eugeany Elarcosa remembers Mary Joy as an honor student who loved dancing.
“She’s very diligent. She always greets me and talks to me whenever we meet even when she is already a superstar. She remained humble and did not change a bit,” said Elarcosa. “One thing many do not know, she loves to dance. She was part of our dance troupe.”
Mary Joy is a consistent honor student up to high school. She graduated from Guba National High School as class salutatorian.
She donated chairs to Guba Elementary School and provided school supplies to the kids there. She is also training kids for free in her grassroots program in partnership with the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) that started in 2015.
Eugeany Elarcosa (left), Tabal’s fourth grade teacher at the Guba Elementary School, talks about Mary Joy. With her are the student athletes of the school under Tabal’s grassroots program.
Natural talent
Ronnie Joseph Gonzales, Joy’s third grade teacher, discovered Mary Joy’s rare talent in running. “I was a Physical Education coordinator of the school at that time when I discovered Joy’s talent in our P.E subject. I saw her potential. She has a different build, she has the endurance and most of all the dedication,” said Gonzales now the principal of Camp Lapu-lapu Elementary School.
“Her endurance and her lungs were developed at such a young age due to Guba’s elevation and terrain.”
After high school, Gonzales introduced Mary Joy to the track and field team of the University of Cebu (UC) but the latter decided to transfer to Southwestern University-PHINMA where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting diploma and a Doctorate in Public Administration.
Proud community
Brgy Guba Captain Orlan Herrera
Meanwhile, Guba Barangay Captain Orlan Herrera has requested Cebu City Councilor Joy Augustus Young to request schools from Pit-os to Guba to let their students line the streets on August 25 when they hold a motorcade for their ‘Marathon Queen’.
Herrera said that Mary Joy is truly a pride of their barangay since she never forgets to mention it in her interviews.
“Because of her, Guba is now known in the entire country and that makes us proud also. She is also very consistent with her charity works here so she deserves a hero’s welcome,” said Herrera.
Jessel Ochia, the 11-year old beneficiary of Mary Joy’s grassroots program in Guba said that her inspiration is her ‘Ate Joy’.
“We are very proud of you. Because of you I am more inspired to train and race harder because I want to become like you,” said Ochia who already won numerous footraces in Cebu City.
Her younger sister, nine-year old Shelney Ochia said that she is very excited to see her ‘Ate Joy’ again. Lovell Adrian Potot said he learned the importance of self-discipline because of their ‘Ate Joy’ and ‘Kuya Philip’ (Philip Dueñas, Tabal’s coach) who trained them to become runners.
Guba, the sleepy barangay is now buzzing with activity to welcome their latest source of pride and joy. The woman who brougth their place to national and international prominence. The woman who has blossomed to become the latest toast of Philippine athletics.
The woman now idolized by millions, was that little girl who can’t stop running Guba’s hills and terrain.