TOKYO - Carlo Paalam said he used to be a member of the 'Avengers.'
By that, he meant scavengers. Avengers was what those kids in his hometown of Carmen, Cagayan de Oro playfully call themselves while digging up anything of value in other people's garbage. Mangangalakal was how they're also called.
Well, Paalam may not be a super hero now, but he's a real-life hero in the eyes of a nation enamored by his courageous journey from being the least heralded member of the four-man boxing team to a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.
A day after losing a split decision to Briton Galal Yafai in the gold-medal match on Saturday, the 23-year old was showered by news of incentives in cash and in kind that could easily breach the P20 million mark.
The 23-year old is grinning from ear to ear these days, but on Sunday his thoughts were only on the coaches that helped him get this far, specifically his longtime mentor Elmer Pamisa, saying they, too, should be rewarded.
"Kung hindi po sa kanila, hindi namin maaabot mga pangarap namin," he said. "Sana po, ma-reward rin sila."
Life's about to change for Paalam, but one thing won't.
Unlike middleweight teammate Eumir Marcial who has already signed up with Manny Pacquiao's promotional outfit and has in fact fought one professional bout, Paalam has no plans of turning pro.
Instead, his focus is on the Paris Olympics, where he hopes to land the gold medal that eluded him here.
"Wala po sa isip ko yan," said Paalam, touching on the topic only briefly during an online press conference on Sunday.
But Pamisa said the kid who he took under his wings as a 12-year old in Cagayan de Oro mayor Oscar Moreno's boxing stable has promised to keep working towards the Paris Olympics happening just three years from now.
"Tinanong ko nga [si Carlo], baka ano na mga plano mo nyan," said Pamisa. "Ang sabi nya sa akin, 'Trabaho pa rin tayo, coach, para makuha natin ang ginto."
If he got this far in his maiden Olympics, Paalam is confident he'll do even better three years down the road when he'll have more experience and bouts against the world's best boxers under his belt.
"Ngayon nga po, lahat po ng mga nananalo dito pangalawang Olympics na nila," said Paalam. "So sa susunod [na Olympics], kung mas may experience na ako, tingin ko mas malaki ang tsansa."
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