WHILE his job as a professional basketball player requires a tremendous amount of toughness, Mark Barroca makes sure it all ends on the court.
Coming home to three young kids, the Magnolia star guard makes the switch from hard-nosed guard to a mild and caring dad slash husband.
As a father, the 37-year-old guard possesses ‘motherly love,' a unique characteristic that has endeared him to his wife, Ruselle Anne.
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“Mark is firm but not fierce… he rarely gets mad, and when he is, he still talks calmly, he never raised his voice to me and our kids," his partner for 15 years shared with SPIN.ph.
"I love his gentleness with us. It won’t sound manly to many, but it’s actually an incredibly manly characteristic for me, and a very important one when it comes to being a father."
Even during games, it’s quite rare to see the soft-spoken playmaker lose his temper, since he first entered the PBA in 2011.
In his entire career, he was only involved in such incident once, a low blow on Chris Banchero in 2018 that he regrets until now.
Most of the time, he finds himself being the mediator when players lose their cool.
Ruselle revealed that work never stops for Mark even after games or practices, as he takes care of Natalie, Nathan, and Noah, so she can rest.
“Whenever he is done with work, he usually gives our two boys a bath, he brings and picks them up from school, he watches our daughter’s volleyball training and games,” she continued.
There’s no space for strict authoritarianism in the Barroca household as all things are solved with gentleness.
“He disciplines them with the good, the truth, and with positive parenting so they will feel loved and secure. That’s why our kids adore him so much. He is their hero, and super dad.”
Girl Dad
Mark also sets the standards high for his unica hija.
“He dates our daughter, just the two of them, every once in a while. He also puts them to sleep, and we pray together as a family, and we never forget to say, ‘I love you’ to each other,” Mrs. Barroca added.
Even in the messy and tiring part of raising children, Mark pitches in.
“I remember the first time I gave birth, he lets me sleep at night, and he took care of our newborn. He changed the diapers. And when he’s home, he lets me relax, scroll through my phone,” she said. “On his days off, it’s always family time.”
Met in Morayta
Together for 15 years now, and married for 12, Ruselle looks back on their early love story, meeting as college students at Far Easter University, where Barroca played for the Tamaraws.
“My friends are big UAAP fans, and me, I have zero knowledge in basketball, but I have no choice but to join my friends in watching their training after class since sabay-sabay kami umuuwi,” she said.
Until a professor required them to watch a UAAP game for additional points
“After the game, my friends waited for the players para makapagpa-picture, and ako naman sige, picture kahit hindi ko sila kilala, I had a picture with Mark and other players, and that’s when we became friends,” she shared.
They were close friends for a couple of years before they made it official as boyfriend and girlfriend in 2009, and the rest is history.
Each other’s rock
“Our relationship is far from perfect, we have our struggles, nagtatalo din kami minsan, hindi mawawala ‘yun, pero ‘yung respect for and trust in each other, hindi rin mawawala at masisira,” she said.
More than the love, Ruselle revealed she’s most grateful for the decisions her husband makes, which are always anchored on family.
“Mark’s faithfulness and loyalty is his choice, I know and I can feel that he is genuine and devoted to our relationship. I always tell him what I feel, and he will always make me feel secure,” Ruselle added.
And in a world where loyalty is a rare quality, Ruselle wants to recognize that apart from being a good player, Mark, too, faithful husband and most of all, a gentle dad.
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