House relaunches Kobe exhibit

MANILA, Philippines — Despite his taxing schedule in Congress, Speaker Alan Cayetano found the time to lead the relaunch of an exhibit extolling basketball legend Kobe Bryant at the House of Representatives on Monday.

The exhibit, which was initially mounted late January, featured portraits of Bryant, including replicas of Bryant’s jersey and a pair of basketball shoes that Bryant wore when he played in Manila during one of his visits to the Philippines.

Also on display are framed inspiring words from the basketball star, such as: “If you are going to be a leader, you’re not going to please everybody. You gotta hold people accountable, even if you have that moment of being uncomfortable.”

Taking inspiration from the “Mamba Mentality” which Bryant was known for, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said he hoped the exhibit would inspire members of Congress to try to be the best versions of themselves.

“We thought na makapagbigay ng kaunting inspirations sa lahat ng kabataan and the biblical principle di ba na that we are a new being in Christ,” Cayetano told reporters.

“Marami talagang masyadong naapektuhan na mga kabataan natin. We don’t take that sadness for granted, so through a simple tribute and simply communicating to the young people that we’ve been around sana magbigay ito ng kaunting comfort sa kanyang mga fans at mga taong na-touch niya yung buhay,” he said.

Bryant died in January when his Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed into a hillside in California, along with his 13-year old daughter Gianna and several others aboard the chopper.

The 41-year-old Bryant was a five-time NBA champion in a career that began in 1996 and lasted until his retirement in 2016.

Edited by EDV