Fil-Am player to see action in Super Bowl

Dubbed as the Seattle Seahawk's "Unsung X-Factor" by sports website Bleacher Report, Filipino-American Doug Baldwin Jr. is set to see action in the championship game of the National Footbal League (NFL) and, perhaps, lead his team to victory.

Baldwin pinged on Filipino's radar when he carried an upside-down Philippine flag during a game last November after Typhoon Yolanda hit central Philippines. The act was not a fluke; rather, it was to show the team's support to the country, which was “at war” with the damage wrought by Typhoon Yolanda.

“Too many to count,” Baldwin told the Seattle Times of the number of relatives he has in Tacloban, including his grandmother.

He said the majority of his family had to stay in a grandaunt's house since their homes were destroyed by the super typhoon. Food and water, weeks before aid properly entered the region, was hard to come by.

Though he has never visited his relatives, Baldwin said he wants to make a trip home in the coming off-season to see his family. “I’m seriously considering taking time out this off-season to make sure I get out there. Because that’s my family," he Baldwin.

Seahawks owner Paul G. Allen matched all the donations their fans made for Yolanda victims to theirRed Cross account.

Journey to the finals

The Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers last January 19, pitting them against the Denver Broncos at the Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2.

During the match against the 49ers, Baldwin made clutch plays that set up scores by his teammates, particularly the squad's kicker Steven Hauschka.

In the second quarter, he caught a 51-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson, which moved the Seahawks to the 49ers' 11-yard line. A few plays later, Hauschka nailed a 32-yarder for the Seahawks first score of the game, 10-3.

Later on, Baldwin returned a kickoff for 69 yards in the third period that got the CenturyLink Field rocking and set up a second field goal for Hauschka, that cut their deficit to 17-13.

With a record of 15-3 this season, this is the first time the Seahawks made the Super Bowl since their loss to Pittsburgh after the 2005 season. The Super Bowl is the NFL's championship game, and is considered by many in the United States to be a national holiday. — Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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