Filipina pencak silat athlete Mary Francine Padios displayed great power, precision, confidence and grace Wednesday at the 31st Southeast Asian Games. She ruled in the Pencak Silat Women’s Seni (Artistic) category, dislodging 2019 SEA Games winner, Indonesian Puspa Arum Sari from her throne. The Aklan born athlete scored 9,960, defeating the Indonesian’s 9,945.
It was the best performance by Padios so far, says Philippine Pencak Silat Association (PPSA) president Princess Jacel Kiram. “Ang galing nya! Nakaka-hypotize ang movements nya,” Kiram tells ANCX, thrilled the 18-year old Filipina won the Philippines’ first gold in the 31st SEA Games.
Padios’ movements were snappy and graceful, says Kiram. “Ang bentahe nya, ang ganda niyang tingnan sa arena. Ang ganda din ng face at height.” The petite Aklanon stands 5’4”.
The association’s secretary general Inier Candor says what made Padios win is “the fire inside her.” The bubbly sophomore high school student transforms into a totally different character once she’s at the arena. “The training really helps kasi dinevelop ng coach niya [si Freddie Jizmundo Jr.] ang kanyang strength at stability, the proper form and striking,” he says.
Pencak Silat (pronounced “penchak silat”) is a traditional martial art that originated from Indonesia. For the class called Tunggal, an athlete needs to deliver a three-minute performance comprised of 14 jurus (series of basic movements) and 100 steps.
It’s quite remarkable how Padios was able to perform her best and display utmost focus throughout the competition despite what her family has been going through. “Francine competed with a heavy heart,” shares Kiram. “She was training with a heavy heart.” Her father Jerome Padios got into a car accident last December and is still in a coma. Mr. Padios, a lawyer, is the sole breadwinner in the family. Francine is the eldest of two girls.
Bad dream
The young Padios started her bubble training in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya in November of 2021. A week before Christmas, she woke up to what she thought was a bad dream: a call at 3AM from her mother Donesa said her dad met a car accident. The athlete could not wrap her heard around the news. All the she could say was: “Ma, ang aga-aga, jino-joke mo ako.” Francine knew her father could survive anything—an accident can’t possibly bring him down. He’s Superman.
The accident occurred around two in the morning. Her father was on his way home from Iloilo when his white Suzuki car smashed into a passenger bus. He had unfortunately fallen asleep while driving. Seeing a photo of the car after the crash, one wouldn’t think its driver would have survived the impact. Mr. Padios was operated on and fell into a coma.
“Ang lakas ng tiwala ko kay Daddy na okey siya, na kakayanin nya,” Padios tells ANCX. “I got sad, pero hindi ako nag-worry.” She continued to train in December and January, saving her allowance money so she could help augment her dad’s mounting hospital bills.
When February came, her mother pleaded for Padios to come home because her father’s condition seemed to be getting worse. “Dalawang beses siyang muntik na mag-flat line,” she told her daughter. “Baka ikaw na lang hinihintay ni Dad mo. Kung pumunta ka at umigi ang kondisyon nya, that’s a good thing. Pero kung hindi, at least nakita mo siya bago ang worst scenario.’”
When the athlete requested to take a break from the training so she could visit her father, the PPSA gave her permission at once. She was given 10 days. “Pero ang sabi ko, give her the time that she needs,” says Kiram. “Wag na i-pressure ng sampung araw. Kasi kung ako ang nasa sitwasyon nya, I would have chosen to be by my father’s side.”
Daddy’s girl
It took a day before Padios finally mustered the courage to see her dad in Iloilo Medical Center. At the hospital’s ICU, she could not believe the sorry state he was in. “Nanghina po ako,” she recalls, her voice trailing off. “Hindi maganda ang condition niya, hindi pa din nagigising. Ang sakit sa puso.”
The self-confessed daddy’s girl told herself she had to be strong. Her father was Francine’s biggest cheerleader. This time around, she needs to be his. The next day, she decided to be her usual playful self. “Si Dad istrikto sya, pero pwede ka din makipagkulitan, makipagbardagulan,” she tells us. “Natural akong makulit e, so nakikipagkulitan ako sa kanya.”
When Padios started talking to her dad, the caregiver noticed something she had never seen her patient do in the two months she’d been watching him: he smiled three times. “Kahit yung caregiver naiyak e,” Francine recalls.
Her dad’s smiles were just what Francine needed. After six days, she returned to her bubble training—to the association’s surprise. “Ang sabi daw ni Francine sa mommy nya, gusto niya mag-survive man o hindi [ang dad nya], matupad nya ang pangarap nito para sa kanya,” Kiram shares. “Sabi niya babalik na siya sa training kasi gusto n’yang mag-gold kasi may incentive yun.” The money could indeed help in the hospital bills which, as of April, has already amounted to P1.8 million.
It was tough going back to training. Her father was always on the athlete’s mind. She did a lot of self-talk. She realized her efforts and the support of everyone will be for naught if she fails to focus on the task at hand. “Bumalik ako sa training pero ganun din lang naman. Sisirain ko lang. I told myself I will just waste the chance,” she recalls. For a while, at her daughter’s request, Mrs. Padios refrained from sending updates about her husband’s situation.
“She’s really driven to get the gold,” says Kiram. “Training nang training nang training. Sabi ko, ‘Itong batang ito, maggi-ginto ito.’”
And Padios did get the gold. “Ang galing na nakapag perform siya na parang walang problema,” the PPSA president says with obvious amazement. And to think the young lady only started in the sport about four years ago.
Winning moment
Padios says she had the jitters before stepping into the arena, especially during the elimination rounds. “Nanginginig pa ako nun, kasi dun nakadepende kung may chance akong magkamedal,” she recalls. But when she won in the eliminations and semifinals, she gained the confidence she needed to defeat Indonesia, the reigning champion.
“The moment I stepped on the arena, sabi ko sa sarili ko, ‘Francine, focus. It’s your time to shine. Six months kang nag-training, ‘wag mong hahayaan na mapunta sa wala ang lahat ng pinagpaguran mo. Maraming nakasalalay dito…Kahit ramdam mo ang ngalay, ituloy mo lang.’”
The self-talk helped and she clearly left the judges and the Vietnam crowd very impressed. “Parang panaginip,” she tells ANCX. “Sobrang saya na parang sasabog ang puso ko.”
Kiram recalls her exchange with Padios when she embraced her to congratulate the athlete. “‘Mam, may pambayad na ako sa ospital’—that’s what she told me. Napaka-selfless na bata,” says the PPSA president. Based on the incentives act law, Padios will receive P300,000 from the Philippine Sports Commission.
The new gold medalist is scheduled to come home with the rest of the Philippine contingent on May 17. "Kung okey lang si Dad, alam ko na pag-uwi ko, sobrang magiging masaya sya,” says Padios. “Iiyak siya sa tuwa.”
Photos courtesy of Philippine Pencak Silat Association