VALANDRE Chauca is frustrated after Adamson lost to Far Eastern University in a UAAP match which it hoped to win to cheer up neighbors in San Marcelino, Manila.
At least four were hurt and around P5 million in property damaged by a fire that razed a residential arena near the university on Thursday, and Chauca hoped a Falcons win would at least lift the spirits of the victims. FEU wound up taking the victory.
"I think that's the toughest part about today. When the buzzer sounded, it's not like you just lost as a team. You lost for everyone in the crowd, and letting those people down, the people that lost, over 1,000 people lost everything, 900 of those were students, that hurts," he said.
Chauca, a Fil-Peruvian shooter playing for one season with the Falcons, was near the area and helped owners of an electronics shop move valuables out of danger.
"I was just leaving practice and I just saw the smoke so I just immediately, just how I was raised, just going help in any way you can," he shared.
"There's an internet cafe that needed help and everyone there was trying to take stuff out. They're moving out desktops, the machinery, and the paper, so I was just trying to do whatever I could. And then after 10 minutes, the roof was on fire so we weren't allowed to go back in."
"Adamson represents like the blue collar type of school," he said. "Some of the poor students go to Adamson so it means a lot to me, of how I was brought up and how I made it in basketball, to represent those types of people, the working class, the people to save up all week just to come to our games."
That's why it was double upsetting for Chauca to not be able to get Adamson the victory.
"A lot of mental lapses, not taking care of business in the first half," he said as Adamson found itself staring at early 14-point holes.
"We're just one-on-one defense and we couldn't stay in front. That was the story today."
Chauca finished the game with 14 points on a 0-of-7 shooting from downtown, while also hauling down seven rebounds and dishing out two assists.
Still, Chauca is confident the Falcons, like the fire victims, will rise from the loss.
"As bad as we're playing, that's kind of how dangerous we are. We're not playing very well and we're still in the mix. So I think once we start clicking a little bit everyone's playing together, we're playing defense together, we have energy, I think we'll turn things around," he said.
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