[PODCAST] At the Buzzer: What does it take to become a UAAP parent?

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MANILA, Philippines – Being the parent of a student-athlete, especially to those whose children have immense popularity, provides both rewards and challenges. 

In the second episode of At the Buzzer, host Naveen Ganglani talks to Bert Gomez de Liaño about the responsibilities he and his wife, Anna, face as they help their sons Juan and Javi navigate through collegiate sports stardom.

Bert shares how he wanted his boys to focus on another sport at a young age (1:10) then discusses how the family deals with the fame, endorsements, and temptations that come with their situation (7:45).

Bert also reveals what his stand is as far as Juan and Javi’s return to UP (20:40) before sharing stories of how Javi made his case to UP coach Bo Perasol (28:30) and how Juan was once left behind in Turkey (33:00).

Here is an excerpt from the podcast (5:37):

Naveen: Are there times as a parent when you have to just put your foot down and say, ‘No, this isn’t allowed.’ What kind of instances make you have to say that or do that, especially when you have children that become celebrities, really, at a young age?

Bert: I could say, with a handful of endorsements they have, it was never our plan. Our plan was just concentrate on sport. To be frank, being in the varsity at this level was never really part of our plan. – Rappler.com

Check out the previous episode:

Episode 1: On Manny Pacquiao and Jose Rizal