Boxer Roel Velasco, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics bronze medallist, is the latest sports hero to be given support by chicken rotisserie company Chooks-to-Go.
Taking note of how Mr. Velasco, 49, has been a “loyal soldier” for Philippine boxing all this time, the company saw it fit to give the Olympian added recognition and support with his own Chooks-to-Go store.
Apart from Mr. Velasco, also recognized and supported recently by Chooks-to-Go were his younger brother, Mansueto, and Leopoldo Serantes, who won silver and bronze medals in boxing at the 1996 (Atlanta) and 1988 (Seoul) Olympics, respectively.
“What astonished me about Roel is that he is a loyal soldier to the country. Though it’s been 29 years since his feat in Barcelona, his legacy continues to live on in our boxers today,” Chooks-to-Go President Ronald Mascariñas said in a statement.
After his career as an athlete, Mr. Velasco progressed to being a coach and is currently one of the national boxing coaches.
“For years, he and his brother Boy (Nolito) have been identifying, grooming, and developing our boxers. And with their help, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam were able to win silver in Tokyo while Eumir Marcial won bronze in a stacked middleweight division,” Mr. Mascariñas said. “Roel truly is a Manok ng Bayan.”
Mr. Velasco shared that he feels honored to be recognized for his contribution to the sport in such a way and that he looks to build on the opportunity given to him by Chooks-to-Go.
“I would like to thank Sir Ronald and Chooks-to-Go for their support and recognition. What I achieved was a long time ago yet they took notice and gave me this honor,” said Mr. Velasco in Filipino.
He went on to share that he hopes athletes, past and present, will be given the needed support for all their sacrifices in representing the country. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo
