Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick Gregorio will have a quiet celebration of the holidays with his family at home in Pangasinan.

But it doesn’t mean that his Christmas celebration will not be meaningful.

Gregorio said that he will have a joyful celebration of the Yuletide season since it comes at the heels of the country’s successful participation in the 33rd Southeast (SEA) Asian Games.

Team Philippines had 50 gold, 73 silver and 154 bronze medals, good enough for a sixth-place finish behind host country Thailand and powerhouse teams like Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. However, the Filipinos won the games that mattered most; they won, not just medals, but golden chances to display their courage, determination and love for the country.

“Sometimes, real victories don’t reflect on the medal tally. It’s not about the quantity, but the quality of those wins,” said Gregorio during his Christmas dinner with Sports Editors on Monday.

“We also have to consider the efforts that our athletes put in to represent the country. They really fought hard. They refused to go down without putting up a fight.”

One of Gregorio’s favorite stories during the SEA Games was that of Alas Pilipinas.

After posting a string of impressive wins to make the semifinals, the Filipino spikers had a sloppy performance against Thailand, leading to a 20-25, 19-25, 21-25 setback that relegated them to the bronze medal match.

A well-known motivator during his days as alternate governor of TNT Tropang 5G in the Philippine Basketball Association and executive director of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines, Gregorio sought permission from Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Tonyboy Liao if he can talk to the team.

In the dugout, Gregorio delivered a speech that fired up everybody — from team captain Bryan Bagunas down to the utility staff. He demanded them to show their heart, their pride, their fighting spirit and everything that made them one of the best volleyball teams in the world.

“I’m here because I want to look all of you straight in the eye and promise me that you will win that bronze medal,” Gregorio said.

“When you leave this room, promise me that tomorrow you will go all out, And you will win that medal for the Philippines because millions of Filipinos are cheering for you. Ilabas nyo yang puso nyo! Pwede ba? Kaya ba? Okay, let’s go!”

Gregorio’s fighting words yielded a positive result. Alas Pilipinas refused to surrender against the Vietnamese, fighting tooth and nail until it captured the bronze medal in a dramatic five-set battle, 23-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 16-14.

After winning the bronze, Gregorio said Alas Pilipinas mentor Angiolino Frigioni pulled him aside and thanked him for squeezing out the best from his team.

“Thank you, Chairman for talking to them after we lost to Thailand. Now, I know that if I want to get mad, I will just call you,” Gregorio said in jest, quoting the seasoned Italian mentor as saying right after winning the bronze medal that duplicated their feat in the 2019 SEA Games in Manila.

Gregorio said he made sure that Filipino spikers would know how grateful he is for playing their hearts out in the most crucial game of the tournament.

“That’s why when I bumped into them in the airport on our way back to Manila, I gave them candies — a small token of appreciation to their hard work and sacrifices in making the victory possible,” he said.

“They may say that I treated them like kids for giving them candies after that big win over Vietnam. But, really, it’s the only way I know to let them know that what they did for the country was truly remarkable. And it’s something more precious than gold.”

Indeed, life has been sweet for Gregorio lately. He may not have a grand party, but he will be celebrating Christmas with a heart filled with love, joy and gratitude for all the hard work and sacrifices of Filipino athletes together with his family, friends and loved ones.

That’s the true meaning of Christmas.