“Sana pagbalik mo mag-usap tayo ni mama mo.”

Carlos Yulo with his parents, Angelica and Mark, in 2019. PHOTO BY Facebook/Adamson University

(SPOT.ph) The Philippines has been reveling in Olympic glory since Carlos Yulo won two consecutive golds over the weekend, and the internet has been working overtime exploring every angle of the 24-year-old athlete’s life that may lead to a juicy story. And a juicy story indeed revealed itself. Issues between Carlos and his mother, Angelica Poquiz Yulo, have surfaced on social media, prompting the gymnast’s ’ father, Mark Andrew Yulo, to step into the limelight and bring some clarity.

Yulo faced One Balita Pilipinas to congratulate his son Carlos on his historic win and touched on what appears to be tense family dynamics.

“Congrats ‘nak. Ang ganda ng performance mo. Sana pagbalik mo mag-usap tayo ni mama mo tsaka mga kapatid mo,” the father said with a hopeful smile on his face. He said that the last time they spoke was two days before Carlos left for Paris. They have not spoken since—even after Carlos clinched his first gold medal on August 3.

Is a reconciliation between Carlos and his family in the cards? Mark believes so.

“God’s will. Pag-uwi po ni Caloy, aayusin po namin ‘yan. Matagal na po ‘yan,” said the older Yulo, explaining that the family is already used to getting online hate ever since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “God bless sa mga basher ng family namin. Dahil sa ginagawa niyo, naka-dalawang gold ‘yung anak ko. Maraming salamat po.”

Behind the glory
Yulo recounted watching his son’s Olympic performance at home with Carlos’ grandparents and neighbors who erupted in excitement during his routines.

“Sobrang saya po namin na nakuha niya ‘yung dalawang gold,” Mark said. “Almost four years niyang hinintay [matapos] ‘yung talo niya dati. Siguro ‘yan ‘yung nagpatatag sa kaniya, ‘yung pagka-talo niya sa Tokyo. Ngayong 2024, binawi niya ‘yan.”

Carlos’ mother was absent from the celebration. Yulo said she was already asleep at the time of the performance. He shared that he has been actively trying to bridge the gap between Carlos and Angelica, insisting their “tampuhan” is only temporary.

“Saglit lang po ‘yan. Wala naman po ‘yan, tampuhan lang nilang dalawa ‘yan. Ayaw kasi ng nanay niya na mapasama siya,” Mark said. “Wala namang perpektong pamilya. Ako nasa gitnaan lang ako… suporta lang ako sa kaniya.”

The day after Yulo’s win, Angelica spoke to Bombo Radyo about complications involving Carlos’ girlfriend, Filipino-Australian content creator Chloe San Jose. Angelica accused Chloe of creating a rift between Carlos and his family, which reached a peak during a training camp in Japan.

Angelica implied that Chloe was staying at Carlos’ dorm, so she didn’t want the gymnast’s younger brother Eldrew Yulo and national player Miguel Besana staying with them as the two were minors: “Dapat bahay lang siya ng mga atleta… ‘Yung mga outsiders, dapat wala doon especially ‘yung walang kinalaman sa training.”

“Ang naging mitsa lang naman ever since is ‘yung babae talaga,” Angelica said. “Feeling ko, nilalayo sa amin si Caloy na, oo alam ko gusto niya makasama si Caloy pero pamilya kami, matagal din namin siyang hindi nakasama because of the pandemic.”

Angelica also denied allegations of mishandling her son’s finances.

According to her, she never claimed his funds as her own, even if she had been in possession of Carlos’ bank passbook and had access to an ATM card linked to Carlos’ allowances from the Philippine Sports Commission. She detailed her careful management of these funds, ensuring that large withdrawals were accounted for as they all related to Carlos’ gymnastic activities.