Olympic bronze medalist Leopoldo Serantes passes away

Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascarinas and Atlanta Olympics silver medalist Onyok Velasco hands Leodelia Serantes, representing father Leopoldo (insets), with a check amounting to PHP100,000 for the first of the Seoul Olympics bronze medalist's lifetime monthly allowance.

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--In a piece of sad news to start September, Olympic bronze medalist Leopoldo Serantes passed away at the age of 59.

"Pol", who has become one of the Philippines' modern-day Olympic-style boxing heroes, succumbed to complications arising from his chronic pulmonary disease at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Serantes made headlines in 1988 after winning the bronze in the Seoul Olympics, but as more pugilists rise from the occasion in both the professional and Olympic-style levels, he was slowly left off the radar until news broke out about his health condition.

Among those who recently helped in Serantes' cause was Bounty AgroVentures Inc. president Ronald Mascarinas, who through the help of Atlanta Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco gave Serantes and his family a lifetime monthly allowance of PHP100,000.

[Related Story: Chooks-to-Go rewards Leopoldo Serantes with PHP100K monthly allowance]

A source also told Dugout Philippines that a Chooks-to-Go store has been given to them.

Currently, Serantes' family is looking to bring his remains back to his hometown of Dasmarinas.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno