From joining a football training camp, becoming a student-athlete, and now representing the Philippines in an international football tournament, Benildean athlete Miguel Artillera’s dreams came true. Take a look at his achievements and the challenges he faced throughout his football career while playing for Benilde.

Left defender and left striker Artillera’s football journey started when he was six years old, and it was his love for the sport that encouraged him to play. After his game as a football player in La Salle Green Hills in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a football coach took interest in him after their performance in the game, but he decided that he wanted to play for either De La Salle University (DLSU) or De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).

In an interview with The Benildean, he shared why he chose Benilde as his new home despite being torn between the two schools.

“Ang decision ko rin talaga is maglaro [for] either DLSU or CSB kasi both schools offer very good service to their students, so problem ko lang is ‘yung [kung] saan ako magfi-fit in. I’m happy na Benilde offered the hotel industry [course] and I really want to become a successful hotelier, so ‘yung napili ko is Benilde,” he said.

Rookie year as a Benildean athlete

For a student-athlete like Artillera who is taking up Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management, balancing both studies and training is not an easy task. He confessed that he experienced culture shock in his first year in Benilde as their training started at six in the morning before classes started compared to his training when he was in high school.

“I have to fix my body clock because I’m not used to wake up in the morning, and then after training, I go straight to class and I overcome these challenges by reaching out to my advisers, to my coach, and parents, and I was also more disciplined with myself in being more responsible in my priorities,” Artillera said.

Despite the heavy demands of their training, Artillera did not set aside his studies. He became a dean’s lister for four terms alongside competing in different football tournaments and garnered a three-time football championship during his playing years in Benilde. 

“Ang main priority ko is to study, and ang iniisip ko [ay] if babagsak ako sa isang subject, ‘di ako makakalaro which will affect ‘yung career ko, so lagi ko pinaprioritize ang pag-aaral ko then second ko ‘yung pagiging athlete,” he said.

Much like any other athlete that competes in the collegiate level, Artillera was not a stranger to football tournaments that highlight his skills and passion for playing. He shared that his most notable achievements were represented by social interactions that he made with people from different backgrounds which supported him throughout his career, and the memorable experiences he gathered in his years of playing as an athlete. 

Artillera had gone to many places to compete, one of them being in Brazil where he represented the Philippines in Brazilian footballer Neymar da Silva Santos Jr.’s Five World Final. “Pinaka ‘di ko makakalimutan is when I represented the Philippines [under] Neymar Jr.’s Five, na-meet ko ‘yung pinaka idol ko na mag-football, si Neymar,” he shared.

On the NCAA Termination

Artillera shared he was disappointed about the NCAA Season 95 termination as he aimed to represent Benilde for another year before he graduates.

“Nilo-look forward ko talaga na mag-play for another year pero [dahil] sa nangyari ngayon, na-ruin ‘yung plans ko and nag-fall short ‘yung journey ko, lalo na [at] ga-graduate na ako soon, so sobrang nakakalungkot kasi ‘di natin alam if kailan matatapos itong pandemic,” he said.

He also added that having crowdless games will be a different environment for all the athletes as their major source of motivation comes from the people who support them on the bleachers.

“Seeing the bleachers empty might lessen our drive to play and our excitement to entertain people. It won’t be like before,” he added. 

Becoming a dean’s lister, achieving one’s goals, and making the Benildean community proud are difficult targets to chase. However, the beauty of sports, along with the people who kept on supporting Artillera, made him proud of how blessed he is.

“From the bottom of my heart, I really want to thank my alma mater for giving me the opportunity to represent the school. To the security guards who looked after our safety. To my friends and classmates for watching and supporting me every time I play. To my parents, thank you for the trust, the love, and the never-ending support. Lastly, to the One above, thank You for the talent. My journey wouldn’t be possible without you,” Artillera said.