Former scavenger Carlo Paalam on recycled Tokyo silver medal: 'Ito ay simbolo ng buhay ko'

Just a few years ago, Carlo Paalam was picking up garbage and metal scraps, which he would sell to help earn money for his family in Cagayan de Oro City.

Now, at 23 years old, he holds a different kind of metal in his hands, one that means so much in his career as a boxer: an Olympic silver medal.

And for Paalam, it’s meaningful for him to receive this particular one from Tokyo.

"Itong medal na ito ay simbolo ng buhay ko. Isa akong mangangalakal at itong medalya ay gawa sa mga sirang gadget po,” Paalam shared.

The Tokyo Olympics organizers conducted a project called the “Tokyo 2020 Medal Project”, where they collected small electronic devices such as used mobile phones from the Japanese public to make medals from recycled materials.

The medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were manufactured from metal extracted from these old electronics and were made to resemble rough stones that were polished, and now shine.

The project was part of a campaign to make the Olympics more eco-friendly.

“Sa basura siya galing, kaya nai-connect ko po siya sa buhay ko.”

Paalam had the opportunity to fight for a gold medal, but Galal Yafai from Great Britain stood in his way. The British boxer proved to be too much for the Filipino, winning by split decision, 4-1, to claim the men’s flyweight gold.

Despite the loss, it was still a gallant stand for the rising pug, who capped off the best performance of a Philippine boxing delegation with three medals.

His silver medal also matched the best result of any Filipino boxer in the Olympics.

"Nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginoon sa pagbibigay ng lakas sa akin at naabot ko ang pangarap ko, first time kong nakalaro ng Olympics sa ganitong edad ko,” Paalam said.

“Halos lahat ng mga magagaling nandito, mga second time Olympian, mga ilang taon nang naging Olympian… Ako papasok pa lang."

Paalam’s silver was the second for the Philippines’ boxer in Tokyo after Nesthy Petecio’s medal win in the women’s featherweight division. Middleweight Eumir Marcial also picked up a bronze medal.

And although he has now come a long way, Paalam said he will always come back to his roots and humble beginnings.

"‘Yan po ang pinanghugutan ko para makuha ko ito. Nagpapasalamat po talaga ako sa Panginoon kasi nabago po ang buhay ko dahil dito sa medalya na ito.”

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News