Those who have been into the Philippine volleyball landscape over the past decade surely know Deanna Wong and perhaps even have watched some of her games from the time she was still part of the varsity volleyball team of Ateneo de Manila University Lady Blue Eagles to the present when she has been playing for the Premier Volleyball League.
She may appear tough and reticent, especially on the court, but the pride of Minglanilla, Cebu, actually has her soft side just like anyone else, which she got to display during her guesting in the latest episode of the ABS-CBN Entertainment online Bisaya talk show “Kuan On One.”
Her insightful and lighthearted conversation with host Melai Cantiveros began with their favorite aspect of being a Bisaya, to which Deanna disclosed is her trait of not easily backing down from any fight or challenge. And she was able to prove that in many phases of her life, from her childhood up to the present, where she has been thriving as a volleyball superstar.
According to her, she already somehow knew that she was brave ever since she was a kid, as she really wouldn’t let anyone win over her. She recalled not really wanting to lose and would even get mad when playing street games and sports, as she demanded another round from her playmates whenever she lost. Besides, she has also learned to speak up to her siblings when she knows they are in the wrong and to stand up for what she believes is right—something she wasn’t able to do when they were younger.
Since the Cebuana hotshot had lived with her parents and four siblings all her life until she reached the age of 16 and graduated from high school, she confessed how difficult it was actually for her to move to Manila to pursue her studies and career as a volleyball player, yet she was unbelievably able to make it in the end.
As Kuantie Melai asked her about the drastic move she made for the sake of playing volleyball, Deanna confessed that it was not her initial choice of sport, for she was actually into basketball back then due to her father’s influence. Since basketball for girls wasn’t popular in Cebu at the time and her school’s main sport was volleyball, she accepted the invitation of one of her classmates for them to try out for intramurals despite not having any inkling how to play the sport when they were in elementary.
Much to her surprise, the coach picked her to play not just for the intrams but for the varsity team! However, it was only when she was in high school that she started to really like the sport.
“Pumasok na ang pagiging matapang ko sa pagharap ng bagong hamon. Kumbaga, naging matapang ako dahil tumanggap ako ng bagong hamon o bagong sport na hindi ako sanay. Doon lumabas ang katapangan ko,” she conveyed.
Deanna supposedly didn’t want to leave Cebu after graduating from high school, more so to be away from her family and her comfort zone. However, her father pushed her to pursue the dream he wasn’t able to achieve, which was to become a professional basketball player. He passed that ambition on to her, which she accepted in a way that meant she had no choice but to obey.
Eventually, she began to realize that it was indeed a good thing that she listened to her parents because she wouldn’t have reached this point in her life and career if she didn’t heed their advice. She was recruited by ADMU to be part of its varsity team and successfully got in after passing the entrance exam and accomplishing all the processes.
Despite her bravery, she admitted to getting very scared, especially during her first two years in the university, to the point that she cried day and night. She recalled, “Very, very hard before. Ang training pa lang mismo. Papasok ka pa lang ng court, matatakot ka na. Grabe ang training, tapos wala ka pang support system pag-uwi mo ng dorm para mapagaan ang loob mo, para maging okay ka. Wala ka nang magagawa, iiyak ka na lang. “
When asked by Kuantie Melai what it has taken her to be strong, Deanna retorted that it was a matter of choice. She always keeps in mind that she must do it not for herself but for her family since they didn’t come from a wealthy clan and they had their own share of financial problems, too. Thus, it was such a huge help that her tuition was free because of the scholarship that Ateneo had given her.
“Kahit mahirap noong mga panahong ‘yon, iniisip ko na lang na kailangan ko ‘yon and it will be worth it someday. At naging worth it naman,” the volleyball superstar remarked.
She went on to recount the instance when she told her mom that she couldn’t take it or didn’t want to do it anymore, especially during her first and second years in college. While her mom already wanted her to come home, her dad was really firm that she could do it.
“Palagay ko, ‘yon din ang punto sa buhay ko na doon ako nag-umpisa na maging malakas. Kailangan mo siyang maranasan to go through life. Wala namang madali sa buhay,” she stated.
As the time came that her name became known in the world of Philippine volleyball, Deanna said that it actually took a while for her to take all that in. She recalled how shocked she was about her growing popularity back then and kept asking herself “why?” and “how did it happen?” But then, she realized that it was not something she should complain about because it’s indeed a blessing after all.
However, we all know that popularity comes at a price. And among the downsides of it that she gets to experience is the shrinking of her personal space and her life becoming less private.
This prompted Kuantie Melai to mention how some people are inclined to judge others who request that their personal spaces be respected and how they would equate it to being apathetic and heartless. She went on to imply that nobody has the right to judge anyone like Deanna Wong since we didn’t know what they went through in life nor witness the hardships she had to endure in order to get to where she is at present.
The host then asked her guest how she uses her courage to deal with people who judge her, to which she replied that she actually just lets them be.
“Maraming sinasabi sa social media pero ako, hinahayaan ko lang sila at hindi ko sila pinapatulan dahil wala kang mapapala sa kanila. Patulan mo man sila o hindi, may masasabi pa rin sila sa’yo. So, if you try to defend yourself, it will just stir up more criticism or issue pa rin. So, hinayaan ko sa paraan na alam kong lilipas din naman ‘yon, na magiging okay din,” Deanna stated.
Then she continued, “Kasi ‘yon nga, kahit anong gawin mong paliwanag sa isang tao kung hindi sila marunong umunawa, wala ka talagang magagawa. They can say what they want to say, pero for me, there’s a time and place naman for everything.”
Kuantie Melai went on to remind viewers to be kind to each other because kindness can take us far and can last for years. Meanwhile, the cruelty that we may cause someone can stop his or her whole world, so she asked everyone to stop the hate and choose kindness.
With regard to her parents’ reactions towards her bashers, Deanna related that her mom used to respond to haters until she told her to stop because it would not do them any good and would just make things worse.
Naturally, her mom cried, for she was really sad and worried about her, although Deanna was actually okay. She tried to make her understand and reassured her that she was fine, she would be fine, and everything was fine. And it did pass eventually, and things got back to normal again.
Apart from making her brave and strong, the controversial issues and difficult times that she went through in life also taught Deanna the most important lesson that she has ever learned. And she imparted it in the “Ultimate Yawyaw” segment of the show.
According to her, what resonated with her the most during the lowest moment of her life was, “If you decide to stop, the world won’t stop for you. It will still keep on moving, so bakit ka titigil?”
Thus, she’s grateful for the help of her support system at the time, which includes her family, who has helped her overcome those. It's her way of reminding other people through her experience to not easily accept defeat, to not give up, and to keep going—which translates to her favorite Bisaya phrase, “Padayon lang.”
Watch out for “Kuan On One’s” all-new guests, such as popular Bisdak artists, influencers, content creators, and beauty queens, as a new episode drops every Tuesday on ABS-CBN Entertainment YouTube and iWant.