Singaporean Olympic champ's 'second mom' is a Pinay
She's like a mother to him, and he a son to her.
Such is the relationship between Filipina nanny Yolanda Pascual and Joseph Schooling, the swimmer who won Singapore its first gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
An article on The Straits Times said 56-year-old Pascual, or Auntie Yolly, has been working for the Schooling family for 19 years, or since 1997, and has seen the 21-year-old wunderkind through his formative years.
"He's like my own son," the article quoted Pascual as saying.
In a 2015 YouTube video made by Singtel, Schooling described Pascual as his "second mom."
"She supports me unconditionally," Schooling said of Pascual in the video.
Pascual, in the Straits Times article, described Schooling as "playful," "caring" and a "very good boy."
"He never shouts at me or anybody," she said.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it is "heartened" by how Schooling appreciates Pascual, who it describes as "the face of the true Filipino."
"Hardworking, dedicated, loyal and caring, they (Filipinos) bring their family values even in their work, showing them love and nurturing in the children they care for confidence and good traits," said Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos, chairman of CBCP'sEpiscopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerants.
He also expressed gratitude to Pascual's employers for treating her with respect and gratitude.
"We thank the employers who repay our OFWs with the same respect and regard, and in the case of Schooling, the same affection that our OFWs give them," Santos said.
Schooling shot to world fame when he won the men's 100 meters butterfly final on Friday to secure Singapore's first Olympic gold medal and deny Michael Phelps a 23rd in the last individual race of the American's extraordinary career.
Phelps, the defending champion and world record holder who is heading into retirement after Rio, finished second in a three-way dead heat with two of his greatest rivals — South Africa's Chad Le Clos and Hungary's Laszlo Cseh. —KBK, GMA News
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