NOT even Bella Belen would’ve imagined what she’d be hearing from what would be the biggest phone call of her life on a typical day at the mall.
The three-time UAAP MVP was expectedly overwhelmed upon learning that the jersey number she represented National University with for the last 11 years will forever be immortalized at the Sampaloc-based school’s rafters.
But the story behind how Bella found it all out was quite the tale as well.
“Nandito ako sa mall at that time, pu-pull out for Under Armour parang last week ata or two weeks ago” Belen shared moments before her jersey retirement ceremony.
“Tumawag sa 'kin 'yung sa Athletics Office, si sir Otie [Camangian], tinawagan ako tapos sabi nila, they're planning to retire my jersey.
“Ako naman, nasa mall ako na para akong baliw. Naiiyak ako, ganyan.”
She even thought that it was too good to be true to the point that it will eventually be scrapped after waiting for a few weeks.
But her home of over a decade had no intent of leaving arguably one, or if not, their greatest student-athlete yet to dry,
“After ng ilang weeks, akala ko 'di na sure. I mean, akala ‘ko di na itutuloy since malapit na mag-pep rally tapos wala pang update," she said.
“Habang nagte-training kami sa national team, tumawag ulit tapos magpapadala na raw ng jersey na isa-sign ko and itutuloy na 'yung pag-retire ng jersey.”
National U’s one and only
No other National U student-athlete has ever had his or her jersey retired in school history.
It will take some time for Belen to finally grasp the reality that she’ll live on as the first of NU’s own to be given an unprecedented distinction.
She still can’t believe it for now, but the Nationalian community always knew she was one of a kind.
“Bago pa ako pumunta dito, iyak ako nang iyak sa condo. Hindi ko ma-explain or maipaliwanag. Basta I'm very happy and thankful sa NU kasi na-recognize nila 'yung hard work ko for the past few years," she said.
“Very overwhelming 'yung feeling ko talaga kasi 'di ko talaga siya in-expect kasi never naman nag-retire ng number si NU.”
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