Andre had a chat with our Athletics Director and PE teacher, Mr. Pido, about his dreams and aspirations as a student before coming to Taiwan and DIS.
Please describe your hometown for us.
My hometown… it’s like a few kilometers away from the beach…
Was it like in an urban area? Or was it more rural?
No, no, it’s rural. It’s near the countryside.
Did you live on the main island of the Philippines? Or was it more the smaller islands?
If you see a map of the Philippines, it’s like three big islands. I was on the middle one, the central of the Philippines…near Boracay Island, the famous beach in the Philippines.
What did you dream of becoming as a kid?
Actually… When I was a kid, first I wanted to become a seaman, but when I was in middle school and high school, I decided to become a teacher. If you see my family, my mother was a teacher, and my father was a teacher also. He’s also the public school principal. My uncle is also a teacher.
You came from a family of teachers?
Yeah. My aunt is a teacher also. I decided to teach, especially sports. When I was in elementary school, I was competing already in local [and] national competitions.
What sports did you compete in? Basketball?
Track and field. But when I was in high school, I also became a varsity basketball player.
Basketball is a big sport in the Philippines, right?
Yeah, it’s a big sport in the Philippines. During my elementary, high school and college years I was a track and field athlete. Actually, I got my scholarships from track and field in high school and also in college. Yeah, I love sports.
Was sports always an essential part of your childhood?
Yes, of course. During my elementary years, my father was also my coach, a softball and track and field coach. When I was a 2nd grader, I always saw my father teaching softball and track and field and thought, “What are they playing?” And I was also curious to play. When I was in grade 5 I started sports, especially track and field.
What was your high school like?
I was in private high school named Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, with two classes per grade level; accommodating 40 students in a class. During those days I merely study, play sports and help household chores.
So did they have a division in which a few classes are dedicated to sports while others were to academics?
No, actually, it’s a normal school like D.I.S. So after school we would practice. I was practicing only during the afternoon or dismissal time and I needed to go to the sports complex to train for two hours a day. After that, I went home and helped my mother to do household chores.
Most of our students are curious about your athletics career. When would you say was the beginning of your athletics career?
Good question. It all started when I was in grade 6, since my father was my coach, I had the desire to be in the field of sports. Mrs. Raymundo saw in me the potential in track and field during my P.E. class in the category of throwing events, so she trained me well and supported. I then first competed in inter-school competition and won……and after that I competed in… like a Taipei [regional] competition.
Like a county wide competition?
Yeah. After that, I had to compete with the other provinces… then I needed to compete with the whole of the Philippines. It’s like a national competition for the elementary level. After that, in high school, I also competed in local and national competition. That’s why I got my athletics scholarships…
What was your very first national game experience like?
First, of course, you feel nervous because it’s the first time you compete. The best athletes are all there… but at the time I was just focused on the competition I represented. I represented Region 6. The Philippines is divided into 12 Regions and thousands of athletes joined…. And thousands are also from Region 6. And I was the lucky one to compete and to represent my provine in Ilo-ilo City.
What motivated you to become an athlete?
[At] first, it was my passion and my own interest. I was thinking about being a national athlete since I was in elementary school, and I achieved it after I graduated from university. I became a national athlete and member of the national team in the Philippines. I was competed international competition in Hong Kong and Thailand.
Why did you transfer from being an athlete to a teacher?
Actually, it’s really related [to my athletics career]. I’m teaching sports now, right, so it’s really just a transition of career. First, I was an athlete, then I became a teacher teaching sports and athletes. It’s really good because I am not just teaching out of my interest but I have also experienced of what I taught. When I am giving exercises to my students, I really felt what they feel… When I am giving exercises, I know how hard the exercises are because I experienced those before. That’s why after my college, I studied and earned a degree in my master’s in sports education and sports coaching science.
What would you say was the greatest obstacle as an athlete and as a student?
That is a good question. During my elementary, high school and even my college time, I needed to balance my studies and my career as an athlete though it is rigid and tough. We are called “student athletes.” We needed to perform in sports and academics. During my college period, I needed to study also because if I failed in a subject, I cannot play. And that’s really hard, because I had to wake up at 5 o’clock every morning to start training from 5:30 a.m. or 6:30 a.m. and finished at 8:00 am. After that, I had to go to school. Sometimes, when I was in class, I felt really sleepy. That’s why in university, I always tried to pinch myself to stay awake, to motivate myself to stay awake…
Why did you decide to become a teacher and why Taiwan?
During the time, I was a national athlete. And there was a national competition in the Philippines. An American coach from the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan was recruiting athletes. The coach asked me if I wanted to study master’s degree in Taiwan. And I was like oh, I am interested in that! And then he gave me the requirements to prepare the diploma, transcripts and the like. I applied to the Chinese Culture University and they accepted me.
Was there any doubt if you would fit into Taiwanese culture or other concerns of that sort?
No, because at that time I was motivated to get my master’s degree, so I can teach at a university. In the Philippines, you cannot teach in a university if you do not have a Master’s degrees, so I need to first get a Master’s degree to be an instructor in the future.
So your ultimate goal in life was to always become a teacher and not exactly to become an athlete? You always wanted to be a teacher at the end of the day?
Yes, because athletes have limitations, right? Maybe at the age of 35 to 40 they must retire. When athletes get too old, they cannot perform well. I was always thinking about transferring to another area as an athlete, to become a teacher or a coach.
Editor’s Note: Since Andre’s interview with Mr. Pido in 2018, Mr. Pido now goes by “Dr.” Pido after he completed a Ph.D in Physical Education, Health and Sports Science in 2019.
