Ces Molina may have found herself in the eye of the storm thanks to the spite of her fellow countrymen, but she remains undeterred for the sake of bringing pride and honor to the Philippines.
“Ang masasabi ko lang — binigay ko ‘yung buong puso ko and ‘yung best ko para sa paglalaro ko,” the national team stalwart declared.
The 24-year-old has gone through a spate of vitriol in the past couple of weeks. The hate then crested during the inaugural leg of the ASEAN Grand Prix in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Despite her consistent offensive contributions for the Philippine Women’s National Volleyball Team, Molina’s errors seemed to negate every positive thing she did on the floor. Though the product of San Beda wound up with a per-game count of 14.33 points — among the highest-scoring production for the tricolor squad in the opening leg — she was still on the receiving end of ceaseless ire.
And while the verbal malevolence continued, an avalanche of misplaced allegations came Molina’s way.
The 24-year-old has received damaging comments associated with her club and national team mentor Shaq Delos Santos, accusing the two of having an inappropriate affair. It was alarming enough that the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc. and Philippine Superliga have stepped in to take legal actions.
“Noong una talaga, hindi maiwasang hindi pansinin kasi medyo masasakit din ‘yung mga sinasabi nila,” Molina confided.
Amid the tribulation, though, the proud daughter of Nueva Ecija chooses to be the bigger person.
Buoyed by the unending support and encouragement from believers who have kept their faith in Molina throughout the ordeal, she has learned how to channel all the animosity into motivation.
“Marami sa ‘kin nagsabi, marami ring sumusuporta at marami ring positive na nagsasabi sa ‘kin at nagme-message na parang… ‘I-turn mo na lang into positive’,” Molina shared.
“Lahat ng sinasabi nila dahil dapat maging mas motivation mo yung mga ganun and to improve. Hindi yung i-take mo ‘yun as negative na ganun ka naglalaro.”
Molina’s performance in the second leg of the regional meet was also a testament to her resolve.
She proved to be the reliable outside hitter who can take the bulk of the offense for the Philippines, averaging 9.33 points per game in the three-day tournament. Her best performance came on the opening day of the second leg, as she — along with Alyssa Valdez — orchestrated the straight-set rout of Vietnam to the tune of 13 points built on 11 attacks.
“So ako, naging motivation ko yun kahit maraming basher. Kahit maraming may ayaw sa akin, mahal na mahal ko pa rin yung mga taong hindi sumusuporta at sumusuporta pa rin.”
