Chris Hubilla grew up without the guidance of his mother, but he makes sure her presence is always with him through a tattoo of her portrait inked on his right leg.
This gives the Mapua University rookie sensation the fuel he needs to continue his budding basketball career in the NCAA Season 100.
"Itong tattoo ko dinedicate ko para sa mama ko kasi bata pa lang ako, ulila na ako sa nanay," Hubilla shared with GMA Integrated News on Sunday.
"‘Yung mama ko ‘yung dahilan kung bakit ako nagpupursige ako sa basketball. Bata pa lang ako hindi ko na nakita mama ko kaya pina-tattoo ko na lang para kada laro ko kasama ko siya, feel ko kasama ko siya."
[This tattoo, I dedicated to my mama because I was a child when I lost my mother. My mama is the reason why I keep going in basketball. I was young and I couldn't see my mom, so I had this tattooed. That way, I can feel she's with me in every game.]
At a young age of three, Hubilla lost his mother to a heart attack, sharing he had to spend his childhood in different places and with different people.
And while life may have been hard, Hubilla persevered with the little memory he has of his mother powering him up.
"Masakit mawalan ng magulang pero kailangan nating mag-move on pero hindi ko siya kinakalimutan. Sa lahat ng ginagawa ko, magulang ko talaga kasama ko," he added.
"Three years old ako nu’ng nawalan ako ng mama kaya kung saan saan ako napadpad, kung saan saan akong mga magulang pumunta, may mga nag-adopt sa akin. Marami akong struggles sa buhay bago ako nakamtan itong opportunity na binigay sa akin ni God."
[I hurts to lose a parent, but we need to move. But I won't forget her. In everything I do, my parents are with me. I was three when I lost my mama. I landed in different places, with different parents, I was adopted. I had a lot of struggles in life before I was able to get this opportunity that God gave me.]
Dedicating every game to his mother, Hubilla has been nothing short of spectacular for the rising Cardinals.
The do-it-all baller was a key piece in the last two games of Mapua, flirting with a triple-double in their 86-78 win over Colegio de San Juan de Letran before leading the charge against rival San Beda University yesterday.
Against the Knights, the 21-year-old forward dropped 19 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists while his 17-point and nine-rebound outing propelled the Cardinals to a 58-55 escape of the Red Lions.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
