WATCH: Kobe Paras on the Marawi crisis, importance of speaking up

MANILA, Philippines – It’s still far from the norm for athletes to talk about social issues with “stick to sports” being a popular phrase used for criticism against athletes who do express their opinions.

This is why it’s newsworthy when an athlete does speak up. But 19-year-old Kobe Paras says this should already be common for players.

“I have no hate to any [on] social media, but like it just sucks that you guys appreciate me for doing this because it should be normal for everyone,” Paras told Rappler one afternoon after Gilas Pilipinas practice.

(LOOK: Kobe Paras writes #PrayForMarawi on Jones Cup game shoes)

“It’s just like praying, nobody puts it on the news that everyone prays because we’re a religious country. So it’s just sad to see that no one appreciates the troops that much. The social media focuses so much on what people want to talk about, rather than need to talk about.”

In the video above, Paras, who will play for the Philippine national men’s basketball team in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, speaks at length about the crisis in Marawi City, which is also under Martial Law as the fighting rages on.

Paras, who will play for CalState Northridge in the US, also talks about the serious responsibility athletes like himself have when they wear the Pilipinas jersey.

Gilas Pilipinas will gun for the country’s 18th basketball gold medal beginning Sunday, August 20. – Rappler.com