Leopoldo Serantes has passed away
LEOPOLDO SERANTES – A former boxer and bronze medalist in the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea, has passed away.
The former Olympian, 59 – a native of Bicol, succumbed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems.
His death was announced by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Leopoldo Serantes is the sixth (6th) overall Filipino to win an Olympic medal.
His historic win marked the first time in 24 years that an athlete from the Philippines won an Olympic medal since boxer Anthony Villanueva, his head coach, won a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Serantes, who’s also a former soldier, has been noted for having been the only gold medalist for the Philippines in the 1985 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok after defeating Thai boxer Supad Boonrowd in the men’s 48kg final.
He also successfully defended his title in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia and was one of the two Filipinos who won a gold medal in boxing in that edition of the games.
It was just recently when Chooks-to-Go awarded him with a lifetime monthly allowance of P100,000.
Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas said that they decided to give him a monthly allowance amounting to P100,000 “so that he can live with dignity befitting a living hero.”
He is considered by the 1996 Atlanta Games silver medalist Onyok Velasco as one of his childhood heroes.
Velasco was the one who helped the Chooks-to-Go president to trace Serantes’ whereabouts.
Leodelia, the daughter of Leopoldo Serantes said in an interview that her father has been suffering from COPD for months.
He was reportedly placed under intensive care at the Philippine Veterans Hospital due to a serious pulmonary and heart condition.
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