PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—When duty calls for the flag and country, overseas Filipino worker Kristian Narca did not hesitate to take a leave from his job to don the Philippine colors in the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games here. *Cambodia's Laingkousin Khun (right) and Philippines's Kristian Salatan Narca compete in the men's 57kg kun khmer fight during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Phnom Penh on May 10, 2023.*

The 22-year-old Narca said he was called up by his former muay coach to represent the country in kun khmer, Cambodia’s ancient martial arts sport, to fill in the vacant spot in his weight class. “Last March, sinabihan ako ng dati kong coach na lalaro ako ng kun khmer. Umuwi ako ng April sa Pinas para mag-train,” said Narca, who coaches muay at a gym in Qatar. Narca said he didn’t have to adjust from being a muay athlete to kun khmer as it was a similar sport. “Sa pangalan lang nagkaiba,” he said. Still, the Maasin, Leyte native, who was a former national muay team member, fell short in his gold-medal bid in the men’s 57kg after bowing to hometown bet Laingkousin Khun, 30-27, in their three-round match before a huge crowd at the Morodok Techo National Stadium Thursday, May 11. He gave his best, but his opponent, a professional fighter, was too much to handle. “Mas magaling talaga siya sa akin, pero pinu-push ko talaga yung sarili ko na magtapat kaming dalawa para makahabol ako sa skills nya. Pinu-push ko pa ring manalo,” Narca said. The silver medal glitters like gold for Narca, who relished being part of the national team again for the first time since leaving the country to work abroad in 2017. After that, it’s time to go back to work for a living.