By Joshua Kyle Beltran

What exactly is the ultimate goal of the first-ever University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Football Player of the Year? Even after going through many hardships as a student-athlete, Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraw Booter and Bachelor of Science (BS) in Medical Biology (MedBio) student Mon Diansuy emphasized the importance of taking school seriously in navigating life.

“To my fellow students, pag-igihan niyo sa pag-aaral niyo, kasi, siyempre, ‘yun ‘yung buhay na pinili niyo… Kung hindi niyo [pagsisikapan] ‘yun, sayang lang din ‘yung pagod ng parents niyo, ‘yung pagod mo rin. Ikaw ‘yung bida sa buhay mo (Do well in your studies, because that is the life you chose. If you choose not to, your parents’ hard work will go to waste, and so will yours. You are the captain of your ship),” the green-and-gold goalie said in an interview with FEU Advocate. 

Mon Diansuy—dual UAAP titleholder, Season 87 Most Valuable Player (MVP), and the first-ever UAAP Men’s Football Player of the Year. To some, receiving such feats would be the peak of what a student-athlete could accomplish. 

While this holds true, the Morayta-based keeper says otherwise. 

In between having played a pivotal role for FEU for the last four seasons, the six-foot-two player describes his journey as one of the most challenging yet fulfilling. Find out why.

From Diliman to Morayta and back

What does a day in the life of a Season 87 MVP look like? 

Besides the requirements of his program, Diansuy considers having an airtight schedule as one of the most taxing factors. 

“Gising ng 5 a.m., magbihis para mag-training ng 6, 6:30-8:30 [a.m.]. After no’n, may klase ako ng 10:30 [a.m.] dito sa Morayta, so, mabilisang ligo, kain, then biyahe from Diliman here to Morayta… Most of the time, ‘yung klase ko talaga natatapos ng 7:30 p.m. Ganun paguran din, tapos pag-uwi, biyahe na naman—Morayta to Diliman pag-uwi. May FA (formative assessment) ka pa, may quizzes ka pa na incoming (Wake up by 5 a.m., dress to train by 6, 6:30-8:30 a.m. After that, I have classes by 10:30 a.m. here in Morayta, so a quick shower, a quick bite, and then travel from Diliman to Morayta. My classes usually finish by 7:30 p.m., so I get tired and then travel again from Morayta to Diliman. Then you have FAs and quizzes to worry about),” he said. 

Despite being grade-conscious, Mon admitted the struggles of keeping up not only physically, but mentally.

“Ako, grade-conscious talaga ako; ayaw kong bumabagsak… Ayun, kahit pagod, nagta-try akong mag-aral for the next day. Pero minsan, kapag hindi na talaga natatapos, hindi na nakakaya ng katawan sa sobrang pagod din sa training, biyahe, aral, wala (I am really grade-conscious; I do not like failing. Even if I am tired, I still try to study. However, there are really times when I do not finish on time, my body gives in because of training, travel, and school),” he shared.

At the end of the day, however, the green-and-gold goalie remains keen on finishing strong with his studies, considering it an asset greater than football. 

“Pero siyempre, as a graduating student, kailangan talagang mag-push as a student kasi hindi natatapos sa football ‘yung buhay mo sa every day (Of course, I still need to push as a graduating student because life does not revolve around football),” the keeper noted. 

Salt to the wound

It may come off as a surprise how Diansuy took on a heavier-than-usual program like BS MedBio.

What many might not have known was that the Cotabato native was once—and for most of his time as FEU’s goalie—a BS Medical Technology (MedTech) student.

Mon made his debut as a Tamaraw Booter during his second year as a MedTech student in Season 85, the same year FEU won a title for the first time since 2015. Since then, Diansuy learned how to manage his time: by studying in advance and staying ‘twice as disciplined.’

This was a habit the green-and-gold keeper developed that helped him get by the challenges of being a student-athlete. In his third year, however, came the turning point that dictated the rest of his time at Morayta.

The most crucial and arguably hardest courses in the MedTech program are taken during the third year, as these are the subjects that prepare them for clinical internship, and later on the board exams.

According to Diansuy, balancing his studies while being a football player started becoming impossible, worsened by the fact that some professors at the time did not recognize him as a student-athlete.

“‘Yung pagiging third-year MedTech student, ‘yun talaga ‘yung pinakamahirap na time sa akin, sobrang hirap talaga… Ang hirap ipagsabay, [tapos] ‘yung ibang prof, hindi nila ako tinatrato as a student-athlete, parang ayaw nila na may athlete na MedTech [student] (Becoming a third-year MedTech student was the hardest period for me. It was difficult to juggle, and then the other professors did not see me as a student-athlete; it was like they despised the idea of it),” the Morayta-based keeper recalled.

At the same time, promotion to the fourth year requires an Annual Quality Point Average of 2.2. Unfortunately, attaining this requirement became difficult for Mon due to the heavy academic load of the program—ultimately leading to his decision to shift to BS MedBio.

“Kaya ‘di rin ako makapag-proceed sa fourth year dahil hindi umabot ‘yung GWA [General Weighted Average] ko… Hindi ko na kayang pataasin ‘yung score kasi ang hirap talaga ng mga subjects. Sinusuntok ka ng buhay ng mga subjects… ‘Yun ‘yung na-feel ko, so ‘yun, need na talaga mag-shift (The reason why I was not able to proceed to fourth year was because I failed to meet the GWA requirement. I could no longer boost my scores because the subjects were really hard. They eat you alive. That is when I felt the need to shift),” he recollected.

While leaving FEU was almost an option for Diansuy, the student-athlete admitted that it was also not as easy to come to terms with his situation, mentioning that all he simply wanted was consideration and empathy from the MedTech department.

End of beginning 

With Season 87 supposedly being his graduating year as a MedTech student, the Tamaraw Booter still found a silver lining as it was in the same season the team avenged their title and he eventually won MVP and Football Player of the Year.

Having already ‘done his part’ for the green-and-gold squad, Diansuy emphasized how he felt the need to explore the outside world.

“Parang ako, tapos na ‘yung time ko sa FEU. Need ko nang pumunta sa totoong buhay para malaman kung paano ‘yung takbo outside of FEU (For me, my time is done with FEU. I now need to experience the outside world to know how life operates),” he shared.

Nevertheless, Mon does not stress much for what the future holds. Whether he plans to go pro or pursue medicine is a question he sets aside for later, all while enjoying the lifelong process of learning.  

“Since medyo bata pa, I’m still learning about life while playing football. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung priority ko: play football, enjoy life, study. I think after kong grumaduate, kahit nasa labas na ‘ko ng FEU, I’m still learning (As I’m still young, that is my priority; play football, enjoy life, study. Even after I graduate, even if I am no longer in FEU, I’m still learning),” he said.

With marching the stage now the next item on his bucket list, the Tamaraw Booter standout aims to give back to the reason for his success: his parents.

“Para sa’kin, gusto ko lang maging proud ‘yung parents ko. Sinuportahan nila ako from being a MedTech student and athlete, hanggang sa napag-decide-an ko na mag-shift na lang instead na going to other schools to continue… Kung wala sila, mahirap talaga maging student-athlete (I just want to make my parents proud. They supported me from being a MedTech student and athlete, to deciding to shift instead of transferring schools. If it were not from them, it would be hard becoming a student-athlete),” Mon expressed.

Prepared to give his all, the student-athlete has one last mission of helping the team achieve back-to-back titles.

Now in his last semester, Diansuy remains eligible to play for Season 89. While the green-and-gold keeper did not confirm whether or not he will forgo his final playing year, his mantra stays clear: you are the captain of your ship. 

Shaped by the lessons and experiences he had as a student-athlete, it is without a doubt Diansuy is deserving of his success. Having always strived for greatness in his stay at FEU—his grit, discipline, and love for the game will certainly bring him to greater heights. 

(Photo by Gwyneth Mendoza/FEU Advocate)