“Despite the fact that my sense of nationalism tells me that Team Philippines will win gold in the Summer Olympics, I have doubts about it. Yes, our athletes made the necessary preparations and all but it wouldn’t suffice. The government still allocates a meager amount to the P.O.C. as well to the training of the athletes. I don’t mean to belittle the talents of our fellow Filipinos but I believe that their possible showing at the Olympics next week wouldn’t match the training undergone by foreign athletes whose countries had really spent a huge sum for the improvement of their potentials.”

-Joseph Giancarlo C. Agdamag (II AB Eco)

“Even if we don’t have a lot of athletes competing in the Olympics, I think they can because the athletes we’ve fielded are the best in their respective sport. Team Philippines certainly trained hard for this so I think we have a good chance.”

-Santini Lanz L. Chanto (IV BS Mgt)

“I think the competition will be very high. I don’t know how much support we’ve given to commercials but we can tell that other countries have put so much on to their teams, especially China who’s hosting the games this year. I think they are one of the biggest contenders other than the usual [contenders like] USA, Canada, etc. No, I don’t think we’re going to bring home an Olympic gold. Although, optimistically, I think we might have some better performances but is our ‘better or best’ going to top that of other countries? I mean, sports is a luxury in the Philippines.”

-April Mae V. Ong Vaño (I AB Eu)

“I don’t think so, but I sure hope so! We are known to be people who thrive in conditions that are sub-par to the rest of the world. So maybe, through brute training, our athletes can bring home the gold.”

-Paolo Gerardo F. Salapantan (III AB Comm)

“I think Team Philippines has all the motivation they need to capture the ever elusive gold medal. Our athletes seemed poised to bring home the glory that we have searched for in a long time. Quite a number of them have also been part of previous Olympic outings, so they should be able to handle their nerves better this time around. Although, taking into consideration that all athletes competing in the Olympics are the best of the best in their respective countries. With this, I believe that there is a real possibility that Team Philippines will be able to bring home a gold medal, but we still have to take with this a grain of caution and not get overconfident.”

-Arthur B. Dizon Jr.(IV BS LM)

“Given the current standard of Philippine sports training, the record speaks for itself. We don’t have dedicated programs for sports. Most of us are too poor to dedicate our lives to sports. Maybe bronze or silver but not gold. That’s very unlikely.”

-John Raphael G. Manalaysay (I AB Lit Eng)

“Historically, we have never won gold yet, and this leads me to believe that we won’t be able to win one this time either. Even though our athletes have trained hard, it might not be enough to beat the top athletes of the other competing countries who have also undergone rigorous training.”

-Mark Janssen G. Aquilino (IV BS ME)