Cherry May Regalado was delighted to see her people in Kalibo, Aklan benefit from her efforts, not just for her being an athlete, but as a pageant queen as well.
Cherry May Regalado bagged a bronze medal in Pencak Silat in the 2019 SEA Games. She posted on social media the road-concreting project that was funded by her prize as pageant winner in Kalibo, Aklan.
In a social media post, Regalado, a multi-medalist in the martial arts sport of Pencak Silat, discussed the ongoing road-concreting project in Barangay Pook which she helped fund.
“I couldn’t imagine that I will be able to help my community this way. Since I was a child, I used to run barefoot on this rough road, but now I just have to wait a few weeks and I can ride my motorcycle smoothly,” said the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games bronze medalist.
The P500,000-worth road-concreting project was part of her winnings as Ms. Kalibo Ati-Atihan 2021, sponsored by the local government of Kalibo.
“Sa wakas (finally), because the local residents and by-passers waited for it for decades,” she added in her post she entitled “Queen with a purpose.”
Regalado, a World Championship silver medalist, clarified that some part of the road will be left untouched because it is owned by a government agency.
“Pag-aari po kasi ng NIA ‘yung kalasada na ‘to. May kaunting part na maiiwan na hindi maabot ng project, na NIA na ang magpapaayos,” she said.
Regalado is an active member of the Philippine Pencak Silat Association.
After failing to join the Philippines SEA Games in 2019 due to injury, she had gone back to her home province in Aklan, where she stayed until now since the siege of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020.
She still trains at home while joining beauty contests, including last year’s Kalibo Ati-Atihan.
Regalado hopes to get invited again to the Philippine team and represent the country to the Vietnam SEA Games slated for May.