Immortalizing the ‘Gentle Giant’
By Joie Timbas & Ian Patrick Laqui
Former Golden Judoka captain and two-time UAAP Mens’ Judo Most Valuable Player Dither Tablan passed away on Friday, Oct 29.
Tablan, 23, a graduate of Sports and Wellness Management, died at around 10:15 PM after two cardiac arrests, his sister confirmed with TomasinoWeb.
He dominated the heavyweight division over the last four UAAP seasons while leading the Golden Judokas to four UAAP championships.
Tablan also represented the country in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and 2019 World Martial Arts Masterships.
He was also a part of the country’s team for kurash.
In an interview with UST Tiger TV last March, he said that out of his five glorious years with UST, his final year was the one he would remember the most.
“The most memorable moment sa UAAP, I would say, was the last season because first of all unang naglaro kami sa MOA Arena. Plus I left my final year as an athlete na champion pa,” Tablan said.
Gentle giant
Despite being a “sensation” in Judo, Tablan was described by his former teachers, friends, and teammates as a “gentle giant” and someone who always kept his feet on the ground.
In an interview with TomasinoWeb, former UAAP Judo MVP Aaron Reyes described Tablan as a kind and outgoing person to his teammates and generally outgoing to everyone he meets.
“Sa experience ko mabait siya sa lahat, very outgoing, at saka ‘gentle giant’,” Reyes said.
Tablan’s passion for the sport ignited during high school in Claret School of Quezon City when he joined the Judo club.
But he did not constrain himself in martial arts back in high school, in fact, according to his former Filipino teacher Dennis Grospe, he joined the school’s choir.
He reminisced about Tablan as a person who never loses his confidence when performing in front of crowds.
“He was a ‘gentle giant’ during his time […] he was quiet […] hindi mo naman sya kakikitaan ng yabang,” Grospe said in an interview with TomasinoWeb.
His love for music was attested by his high school friend and former choirmate, former UAAP Arnis gold medalist Ding Makasilang from FEU, citing Tablan’s skill in guitar and bass.
“Definitely the friendliest and the most talented individual I [have] ever seen,” he said.
“Kahit hindi kayo nag-uusap masyado, ipaparamdam niya sayo na matagal na kayo magkaibigan,” he added.
Tristan Menor, Tablan’s close friend and teammate, said that the most remarkable thing about the two-time UAAP MVP was that he was a cheerful and caring person to his teammates.
Menor recalled that Tablan was the type of person to excel at anything he prioritizes, with his intentions to make people proud of him, especially his parents.
“Hahanapin ka sa training kapag di ka pumunta iisipin niya agad kung ano nangyari sa amin. Sobrang laking loss siya sa team.” Menor added.
Dither’s sister, KC Tablan, also admired his brother’s “one-track mindedness”.
After Tablan’s graduation, he remained ambitious in his craft as he worked towards his ultimate dream: the Olympics.
At the same time, he was not afraid of trying out new things as he was able to establish a small cryptocurrency business.
Always got your back
Despite his dominance in Judo, both in collegiate and national levels, Tablan never forgot to check on his teammates’ wellbeing in terms of training, academics and their personal lives.
Estie Liwanen, Tablan’s fellow Filipino pride and judoka champion, describes him as a “good guy” who was cheerful and made everyone laugh through his jokes.
She recalls the last conversation she had with Tablan was him asking to train together.
“I also used to call him the team’s big bear because of his size […] we will be missing him.”
Her sister also attested to his thoughtfulness saying that his brother [Tablan] “can be relied on no matter the situation.”
“For me he was a perfect brother,” she said in an interview.
Half-mast España
Aside from his judo teammates, prominent UST athletes and the Thomasian community also joined the mourning of Tablan’s passing.
“Baymax” as former UST Golden Tigress Alina Bicar described Tablan saying his “hugs will be missed” in a now-deleted post.
Another former UST volleyball player Manuel “Weiwei” Medina referred to Tablan with the same nickname, in a Facebook post sharing his shock at Tablan’s sudden passing.
Tablan’s home faculty, the UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics, also extended condolences through their Facebook page.
Tablan’s remains will be in St. Peter’s Chapel in Quezon Avenue.
