WHEN John Paul “H2wo” Salonga collapsed in front of his teammates, the morale inside the bootcamp plummeted. The situation even grew worse when he was rushed to the hospital.
A frantic Setsuna “Akosi Dogie” Ignacio was constantly moving back and forth, attempting to resolve the crisis as their Sibol qualifiers match against Blacklist International loomed. A detailed account was revealed in his recent YouTube vlog.
With only a few minutes remaining before the match, a stressed-out Dogie described Salonga's condition: “Nagsusuka siya at nagtatae, sakto game na nila ngayon and in 10 minutes game na nila."
How H2wo suffered from stomach issues, according to Dogie
He added: “Sabi pa nga sa akin, ‘Dogie ang sakit ng tiyan ko!’ Akala ko nagjo-joke, kinausap ko marshal kung pwedeng ma-delay kahit ano lang 1 hour para ipatakbo sa ospital, tutusukan lang ng gamot tapos hingin ng certificate ng medical.”
He even ranted that the limited number of substitutes caused some major issues.
“Kase anim lang player dapat sampu eh!”
As he went out of the bootcamp, he graphically explained how Salonga suffered his stomach issues.
“Kapag nag-softdrinks ka na walang kain, eh siya nag-softdrinks siya eh. Umorder siya ng McDo or Jollibee, di ko alam eh. So parang, hindi niya matae, sinusuka niya. And kung tatae siya, liquidate talaga. Tapos itim pa yung kulay,” said the MLBB streaming sensation.
As his stress levels increased, he asked the team manager Dale Lopez about H2wo’s status.
“Dale nasaan na kayo?”
“Nandito na sa UF!” replied the team manager.
Realizing that the chosen hospital wasn’t near the local Petron station, Dogie was left flustered. The clock was ticking and it seemed all hope was lost.
The long waiting game
The scene eventually shifted to an internal discussion between the team and one of the heads, whose identity was not revealed on cam, but is likely one of the higher-ups from Nexplay or Sibol.
The unknown source initially explained that the match must proceed and why only 7 players can be fielded for the qualifiers.
“Hindi kase pumapayag na i-reschedule! And yung seven players, yung five main and two subs, yun na yung ruling ng SEA Games Vietnam. Kaya hindi pwedeng sampu. Kung SEA Games Philippines yan, pwede yung sampu!” explained the unknown source.
As Dogie was discussing with the unknown source, he asked Renejay “RENEJAY” Barcarse to sub in. Afterwards, he immediately called Dale to rush the process.
“Stay niyo diyan si H2, pakisabi na lang sa doctor kung pwedeng pakibilisan yung process!”
With only a few options left as H2wo was the only core player in their lineup, the team discussed what strategies they need to deploy. They even prayed before the match, hoping for a win but most importantly for the welfare of H2wo’s health.
The bad news arrives from Sibol
Yet things continued to spiral downwards amid the last-minute changes and Dogie’s insistence in bringing H2wo back in action. League operators already made their final decision, where Blacklist International took Game 1. The unknown source explained everything in detail.
“Ang problema tumawag yung officials, yung desisyon nila, dahil daw noong pa-i-start pa lang kayo, doon lang kayo nagsabi na kailangang dalhin sa ospital si H2wo," said the unnamed individual.
He added: “Yun yung sinasabi nila na bakit before pa kaninang mga 10 a.m. or 10:30, bago nag-start yung check ping, may nararamdaman na si H2wo, bakit hindi sinabi kaagad?”
Dogie immediately retaliated.
“Ganito kase yun. Kanina po parang kaya noon ni H2wo. As in kaya pa. Kaso noong kanina po, wala na po, nagco-collapse talaga eh! Willing naman siya maglaro kaso nagco-collapse yung katawan.”
He then expressed his frustrations about the decision.
“So yung parang i-one-zero kaagad kami ng Blacklist on that time, nakakagulat lang po. Sabi ko nga may medical certificate kami!”
The person at the other end of the line replied by saying that there was nothing he could do.
“For us kase iniisip namin yung health ng players kaya pinapunta ko sa ospital sina Dale pati si H2wo eh, kaso may mga higher ups na magde-desisyon talaga eh,” said the unknown person.
For Dogie, their decision was uncalled for: “Ok lang po yun pero sana naman next time, i-consider na nila yung health ng tao. Pagkaganyan po kalalabasan talaga na kung saan wala pake sa health ng tao po, nakakasakit sa puso kase bata pa yan eh!”
“I understand, nilaban ko yung situation kaso yun yung desisyon nila eh!” responded the other party.
After the long waiting game, Dogie immediately went out to vent, even as he got the news that H2wo was on the way back to bootcamp
“Mas priority nila i-live yung game kaysa sa health ng bata. Sakit man!”
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