No matter how one looks at it, the story of Mark Reynan Cardona of DLSU has all
the upbuilding qualities of a young man’s Herculean efforts to buck
extreme poverty. Kicked around like a pinball, was the way Jeff Davis, one
of the three assistant principals of Carson High School in California,
described the life of Mark Reynan Cardona, or Macmac, in the two years
and three months he spent as a student from Grade Nine to 11 at Carson High.
Cardona, the 6-1 170-lb De La Salle University (DLSU) basketball squad rookie,
had been practically a non-entity at Carson, unlike another Green Archer, Mike
Cortez, who was well known in Carson High as a basketball star.
finish his high school via the Department of Education, Culture and Sports'
(DECS) home-study program to obtain the DECS diploma, try out first with the
National University Bulldogs,where he failed to make it, and eventually end up
in the starting five of three-time University Athletic Association of
the Philippines (UAAP) basketball champion, DLSU, where he
alternates between the off-guard and small forward positions.
But this is getting ahead of the story.
How Cardona got to Carson —and eventually to DLSU—is by itself a story, a saga,
to be more precise, with miniplots. No matter how one looks at it, Cardona's
story has all the upbuilding qualities of a young man's Herculean efforts to
buck extreme poverty, of patiently and humbly resisting powerful opposition
from the better off elements of society and of starting to acquire a college education
from one of the best institutions of higher learning in Asia
by using his basketball talent as an entry point.
Cardona's story begins in Manila, where, on November 13, 1981, he was born to
Reynaldo Cardona of Pampanga and Criselda Mikesel of Manila. The elder Cardona
was a professional cyclist who made a living by joining the cycling tours named
after their sponsors, such as Marlboro. By most accounts, Reynaldo was not
definitely one of the more outstanding cycling pros. By some accounts, too,
he had a fondness for alcoholic drinks. By the time Reynaldo died in 1994,
he had sired five children by Criselda. Macmac was the youngest of the brood.
Over the years, with very little help from Reynaldo, Criselda supported her
five children by taking on odd jobs and by working as a house help in different
households. In 1983 Criselda packed up and went off to Greece as a domestic
help. Friends and confidantes of Macmac say that Criselda's own story is
another heartwarming saga of single-mindedness and love for her children that
deserves separate treatment.
In Greece Criselda worked under slave-like conditions and is a classic example
of the exploited poor. After years of back-breaking labor, Criselda decided she
has had enough and befriends a group of Filipino seamen whose boat had docked
in Greek waters. The seamen take pity on her and smuggle her in as a stowaway
on the boat which was headed for San Francisco in the United States,
the promised land.
Back in the Philippines, Macmac spends a great part of his childhood years in
the streets of Mandaluyong. He spends his time on Aglipay Street in the Boni
area and hangs around San Felipe Neri Church. At the church, Macmac earns his
keep by selling cigarettes and newspapers and is gopher to gamblers
who would play sakla, mahjong, pusoy and other games of chance during
the many wakes in the church.
Grades one and two were spent at a training school for seamen,
the NAMEI Polytechnic Institute in Mandaluyong. Next stop, Grade Three, was at Jose Rizal
College (now University). Part of Grade Three and the whole of Grade Four were
spent in Isaac Lopez, a public school in Mandaluyong. By the time Macmac got to
fifth grade, he had attended his fifth grade school, this time a public
school in Cardona, Rizal, where he stayed with Irene Cardona, sister-in-law
of his father. In between school and summers, Macmac would be
placed under
the care of aunties, uncles and a grandmother, lola Adela Mangahas,
mother of Criselda, and Tita Lolita Cardona, sister of Reynaldo.
In the States Macmac would also move from one relative to the next, thus
prompting the pinball remark of Davis.
In 1995 Criselda married a divorced Filipino old-timer by the name of Amando Gamboa.
Shortly after the wedding, Macmac is petitioned by Criselda. Macmac then goes
to school at Carson High. While at Carson, Macmac was not good enough to play
for the school team. Instead, Macmac spent his time playing street
basketball with the taller, heftier and more athletic Afro-Americans. In between street basketball,
Macmac would join Fil-Am leagues like the annual tournaments of Caviteños.
To support himself and help augment the household income, Macmac worked part
time as cashier in the nearby Jack-in-the-Box outlet and at the popular Seafood
City restaurant.
To be sure, Cardona has gone some ways from his less than humble and modest
beginnings. With a season-high output of 25 points and an average playing time
of about 33 minutes, Cardona has been named Rookie of the Year by the UAAP
Press Corps, an award he won hands down.
Reflecting on his present situation and with the alleged controversy regarding
his eligibility behind both him and DLSU which has stood steadfastly and
unwaveringly supported him and his eligibility in all respects, Cardona
says, "I know this is my opportunity to make a better life not just for me but
also for my other relatives. Basketball brought me to La Salle and I intend to
be a good student so I can continue playing and to give me a better future
. I didn't want to tell my story public kasi medyo iba sa istorya ng
mayayaman but my story can help others and shows that La Salle is truly
for everyone—kahit na mahirap
ka lamang."