PHL's No. 1 table tennis player: From fish vendor to intl champion

Who knew that a fish vendor in Mindanao would one day become the Philippines' best table tennis player? Edwin Suarez, who hails from Davao del Sur, is considered to be Philippines' No. 1 table tennis player based on the University of the Philippines Chancellor's Cup. Suarez was among the Filipino participants in the recent World Ping-pong Championships held at the Alexandra Palace in London from January 5-6 this year. The Philippines is the only Asian country invited in the 2013 championships. Unfortunately, Suarez was not as lucky as two other Filipinos in the tournament — Richard Gonzales and Joseph Cruz — who reached the quarterfinals. Nonetheless, Suarez's story continues to inspire other aspiring Filipino athletes. According to a report by Chino Trinidad for GMA Network's "24 Oras" news program, Suarez used to be a fish vendor who learned to play ping pong in a market in Panabo, Davao del Sur. Four years ago, Suarez found the courage to join table tennis tournaments in Metro Manila until he rose to become the country's best in the sport. For the London World Ping-Pong Championship, Suarez paid for his own expenses with the help of a few friends. Suarez said he hopes to teach ping-pong to the children in his hometown, Panabo. “Andoon sa puso yung laro na ginawa mo... i-share mo sa iba [lalo na] yung mga bata. Pag dating ng araw tatanda ka rin, yun [mga bata] ang papalit sayo,” Suarez said. Pinoys in World Ping-Pong Championships Aside from Suarez, Gonzales, and Cruz, four other Filipinos made it to the 2013 World Ping-Pong Championships in London. Gonzales is a former national player of the country and is now based in the United Kingdom. In the quarterfinals, Gonzales lost 2-1 to Ilija Lupulesku of the US. On the other hand, Cruz lost 2-0 to Maxim Shmyrev of Russia. Shmyrev was eventually declared champion of the tournament, beating Sule Olaleye of Nigeria 3-2. Youngest in the tournament Meanwhile, the honor of being the youngest participant of the 2013 World Ping Pong Championships went to a Filipino -- Louie Pineda, 16. Pineda said “Gusto ko mapatunayan na kahit sa sports ay gaganda po ang takbo ng buhay mo at [pwede ka pang] ipadala sa ibang bansa,” in a separate interview with Trinidad. Pineda has been playing table tennis for two years but already qualified for the world championship. Coming from a humble tennis program from Marinduque, Pineda said he made sure that he learned everything he could as he played against the world's top ping-pong players. However, despite his success in ping-pong, Pineda urged youths to keep studies their top priority. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News