Ricky Vargas, president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, surveyed the faces of the four young fighters seated before him, munching biscuits and popcorn, and spoke of the one training furiously hundreds of kilometers away in some mountain gym up north.

“Yung me pitong world championship, hanggang ngayon nagpapakahirap mag-practice,” said Vargas, driving home a point to Asian Games-bound Charly Suarez, Delfin Boholst, and the Saludar brothers, Rey and Victorio, who paid the ABAP official a courtesy call at his Maynilad Water Services Inc. office in Quezon City recently.

“Why will Manny Pacquiao train so hard for this fight (against Mexican Antonio Margarito) when this will not give him additional prestige that he already has?” said Vargas, also the president of Maynilad.

“But iba talaga ang prinsipyo niya sa buhay. Sabi niya ‘marami na naman akong taong mapapasaya pag nanalo ako.’ Dapat ganoon din ang maging prinsipyo natin.”

Back after the PLDT-ABAP team’s 4-of-4 finals appearance at the 31st Tammer Cup in Tampere, Finland, Rey and Victorio Saludar, who each won gold medals, and silver medalists Suarez and Boholst will join Wilfredo Lopez and top woman boxer Annie Albania in spearheading Team Philippines’ participation in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China three weeks from now.

“You’ve got to keep in shape, stay strong inside and physically,” said Vargas. “I hope you peak at the right time. Work together. Find strength in each other. At the end of the day, you will be known as a team of individuals performing out there.”

Vargas distributed cash incentives courtesy of ABAP chairman and corporate magnate Manny V. Pangilinan P30,000 each for the gold medalists and P20,000 for the silver medal winners.

“As promised yan before you left. But when we get to the Asian Games, ang gold ay P3 million na, ang silver is P1 million, at ang bronze P500,000,” Vargas said. “At pag umabot tayo sa Olympics, alam ninyo naman ang ibibigay natin.”

Pangilinan has pledged a whopping P12 million for a boxing gold medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

“Di biro-birong pera ‘yan,” Vargas told the boxers who were accompanied by ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio and executive director Ed Picson, the head of delegation in the Tammer Cup.

“Don’t miss the chance and opportunity. Minsan lang ‘yan. Expectations are high because of what you’ve achieved in Finland so you have to work harder.”