Outstanding athlete, outstanding alumnus

CEBU, Philippines — When it rains, it pours.

This timeless adage proved true for Cebuano top-notch karateka Orencio James Virgil G. De los Santos.

After winning back-to-back gold medals in the past two international online tournaments he joined that catapulted him to No.2 in the e-kata world rankings, De los Santos added feather on his cap after being named as one of the Most Outstanding Alumni of PAREF Springdale School, Inc.

“OJ considers Springdale as his extended family where he grew physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. Continuously inspired and living by the motto “Bene Omnia Facere” (Do all things well) coupled with strong dedication, perseverance and determination, he reached the major leagues and brought honor to the nation in the field of karate,” the school posted on its Facebook page in honoring De los Santos as its most outstanding alumnus for Batch 2008.

With fortitude and craftiness, the 30-year-old De los Santos worked his way up to become the country’s top karateka.

An eight-time national champion, De los Santos produced two bronze medals for the Philippines in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2015 and 2017. Unfortunately, he was ‘robbed’ of the opportunity to fight for the flag again after he was unceremoniously taken out of the national squad in last year’s SEA Games the country hosted.

That did not deter De los Santos though from continuing to make his countrymen proud.

Lately, De los Santos made it to the sports pages of both local and national papers for his stirring exploits in virtual kata tilts.

After a golden performance in the Balkan Open last August 3, De los Santos continued to make waves by outclassing his archrival, world No.1 Eduardo Garcia of Portugal, for the first time in their three finals showdown to rule the Athlete’s E-Tournament organized by Russia just last Wednesday.

It was his fourth gold medal spiced up with a silver and a bronze in 13 events he participated in the past four months since the sports lockdown due to the global pandemic.

De los Santos is deeply honored and gratified that he is being recognized by no less than his beloved alma mater for his excellence in the sporting field.

“Being a part of Springdale family has truly been a blessing for me and it is something that I can be really proud of. This institution has taught me a lot of valuable lesson that I still uphold in my everyday life. Springdale has also strengthened me mentally, and spiritually,” said De los Santos.

 “I still live by the motto of my alma mater “Bene Omnia Facere”, which means do all things well and that is the reason why I have accomplished all the achievements that I have today. And also Springdale has strengthened me spiritually by keeping me closer to God because I know for the fact that without God, nothing would be possible. Once again thank you Springdale for instilling all these values in me and I will continue to apply them in my everyday life,” he ended.