Marvin Romero, EAC dedicate Season 99 campaign to late teammate
Published April 7, 2024 3:21pm Updated April 7, 2024 3:21pm The Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals are treating the NCAA Season 99 men’s volleyball tournament as a way to honor their teammate who passed away late last year due to an accident. Veteran outside spiker Marvin Romero said they dedicate every play and every game to […]
Tomas Kauer - News Moderator 
Published April 7, 2024 3:21pm
Updated April 7, 2024 3:21pm
The Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals are treating the NCAA Season 99 men’s volleyball tournament as a way to honor their teammate who passed away late last year due to an accident.
Veteran outside spiker Marvin Romero said they dedicate every play and every game to Mark Justin Cabacang, who figured in a motorcycle accident in December 2023 that led to his eventual death.
Cabacang, who was among their alternate players last season, was supposed to play his final year at EAC this year.
“Every game namin para sa kanya, this season para sa kanya ‘to kasi gusto rin niya makalaro eh, kilala ko siya kasi ka-batch ko siya. Dapat lineup siya this season,” Romero, one of the closest friends of Cabacang, shared to GMA News Online.
(Every game is for him. This season is for him, because he would have wanted to play. I know because he is my batchmate, he was supposed to be lined up this season.)
With Cabacang serving as their inspiration, the Generals pulled off a gutsy 22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12 win against De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde to open their campaign on a high note.
Jan Abor led the charge with 26 points while the 22-year-old Romero poured in 16 markers and six digs.
“Kahit anong palo, kahit anong serve, kahit anong receive namin, andiyan siya nakatingin,” Romero added.
“Kaya kailangan namin magtiwala and hindi namin siya ite-take na negative, although masama talaga ‘yung nangyari. Alam namin tumutulong siya sa amin kahit wala siya.”
(Every hit, every serve, every reception, he is there. That’s why we need to just trust and not take it as a negative, even though what happened was bad. We know that he’s helping even if he is not there.)
Romero also shared that he didn’t just form a bond with Cabacang on the court as they are also good friends off the court and were even partners for their thesis.
“Actually sa thesis namin, before siya mawala, na-defend pa namin dahil sa kanya. Ako as a starter ng team, parang sinabihan niya ako na sige kahit hindi gano’n kalaki ‘yung ambag sa thesis, basta maging okay lang ‘yung performance mo sa training at game okay lang,” he said.
“Nu’ng una ang sakit, sobrang sakit kasi close ko ‘yung tao, araw-araw magkasama kami na halos magkapalit na kami ng mukha.”
(Even in our theses, before he was gone, we even defended it because of him. As a starter of a team, he told me that even though I was not able to contribute that much to our thesis, as long as my performance in training and game is good, then it’s fine. At first it was really sad because I was close to him. We were together everyday.)
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
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