He’s a shy basketball player from Diliman. She’s an outgoing volleyball player from Loyola. They can’t be more different, but somehow Harold Alarcon and Roma Mae Doromal are making this work.
The message seemingly came out of nowhere, Roma Mae Doromal thought to herself. It was in the notifications list on her mobile phone, and it was from Harold Alarcon, a fellow National University Nazareth School alum whom she kind of knew, the way high school athletes are vaguely aware of each other.
Harold was two years her junior, and their respective tenures at NUNS overlapped by just a year. She barely knew him, really, but they were Facebook friends and were following each other on Instagram, so there was that.
Previously, their communication had been limited to IG messages from Harold on her birthday or on other holidays, nothing serious. The type of messages everyone sends out to everyone else on special occasions.
“Yung reply ko lang always was ‘thank you, thank you,’” Roma Mae told The GAME. “So every year, may ganun kaming parang incident na magme-message lang siya every holiday. And then I’ll just say thank you, ganun.
“Pero never ako nag-greet sa kanya ng happy birthday. So siya lang always.”
But this latest message was different. Harold actually wanted to make conversation.
“Walang occasion, walang anything na special,” Roma Mae said. “Hindi ko din birthday. Nag-message lang siya na ‘hi’, ganun. So doon nag-start na nagkaroon kami ng conversation. Kasi I was in Bacolod that time. And then taga-Bacolod siya. So parang sabi niya lang noon, ‘pasalubong nga.’ Parang ganun, out of nowhere.
“So parang yun yung way niya siguro na makausap na ako. So naging consistent kami for a while na nag-uusap.”
Unknown to Roma Mae, Harold’s attraction to her started when he first laid eyes on her in high school. But he was too shy to make a move and had to settle for admiring her from afar.
“Una ko siyang nakita nung pagdating ko ng NU,” he said. “Nakita ko lang siya, tinanong ko sa mga teammates ko ‘Sino siya?’ Tapos yun lang. Nagkaroon din ako ng interest. Nung high school kasi mahiyain pa ako. Hanggang ngayon mahiyain ako.”
Harold’s reluctance to make a move was hardly surprising, for Roma Mae wasn’t exactly the approachable type in high school.
“Nakikita ko siya sa campus but not to the point na papansinin ko siya,” Roma Mae recalls. “Kasi mataray talaga ako. Parang dati, I was not interested naman in any relationship.”
Roma Mae eventually graduated and accepted a scholarship at Ateneo, where she became a varsity volleyball player and team captain. Harold, meanwhile, won two UAAP junior basketball championships before joining several of his teammates at UP.
Winning at the highest level can be a powerful drug that melts away your shyness and gives your confidence a major boost. Suddenly, you’re somebody.
That’s what the UAAP Season 84 championship did for Harold Alarcon.
“Nung college na, yun nga, parang doon na nabuo yung confidence ko,” Harold says. “Parang siyempre nano-notice din ako. Kung baga parang nakatulong din siya sakin. Tapos doon ko na-message na din si Roma.”
Yet while Harold was basking in the glow of UP’s first championship in nearly 36 years, Roma Mae was at the opposite end of the pendulum. Volleyball had not been included in the list of events for Season 84, and she fretted about possibly losing her scholarship.
“Nung pandemic, dun ko talaga siya na-notice,” she said. “Yung first time na na-notice ko siya na, ah, he exists. Kasi that time, I was at my lowest point na parang, I was looking for signs na to continue playing. Kasi nag-stop lahat. Everything stopped for two years. And then, I was scared baka mawalan ako ng scholarship and everything.
“It was my dream to play in Ateneo. So parang, yun yung pinaka-lowest moment ko in life.”
They say that if two people are destined to be together, then nothing in the universe can stop it from happening. And so it was that the universe sent Roma Mae the sign she was desperately looking for. But instead of a shooting star or a song that suddenly played on the radio, it came on social media.
“I was looking for signs,” she admits. “And then parang, nagulat ako sa Facebook kasi friends kami. And then pag-scroll ko, he was reading a book. Something like, parang kahit hindi mo nakikita yung result, parang you just have to be patient, na in time.
“Like parang very motivational ang speech niya. And then, dun ko siya talaga na-notice. Wow, very timely naman na nakita ko ito. So parang, I don’t know if coincidence lang iyon. Pero like, ti-nake ko yun as something na parang naka-help sa’kin to push through.”
However, it appeared as if Roma Mae had misread the earlier sign from the universe. Harold suddenly stopped sending messages.
“After a few weeks, hindi kami nag-uusap na ulit. So parang nag-stop na ulit yung conversation namin sa Instagram. Tapos that time, I was ready na kasi, if ever, na makipagkilala sa ibang tao. Open na rin ako. Parang I was, ‘Okay, fine. If hindi talaga siya mag-message na ulit, I’ll stop na.’ Tapos nagulat ako after that few days na sinabi ko yun, bigla siya ulit nag-message. And then yung message niya was asking me out na.”
The Courtship
The Church of the Gesù sits squarely in the heart of the Ateneo de Manila campus, a silent witness to generations of Ateneans who seek solace within its confines. It is a place of worship and reflection. It is also where Harold Alarcon and Roma Mae Doromal met face-to-face for the first time since their paths first crossed in high school.
“So parang that time, nag-align siguro yung stars kasi malapit kami to each other, Katipunan lang. And then nag-meet kami sa Gesu. Nagpunta siya ng Ateneo. So dun yung first time na parang nag-usap talaga kami.”
Roma admits she kept her expectations pretty low for that first “date.”
“May part na hindi ko siya kilala pa, kung ano talaga siya. Actually, my expectation, grabe, worst talaga yung expectation ko of him. Parang I expected na bad boy. Like lahat ng worst na kaya kong i-imagine nasa head ko. Kasi syempre kilala siya. And then, maybe ano talaga siya, playboy, something like that.
“So like, yun yung hindi ko in-expect, na ganon siya pala ka-nonchalant. In-expect ko talaga na worst na hindi magalang, hindi ganito, ganyan. Ang negative, like red flags, lahat ng red flags.
“But then, it turned out, super okay siya. Nagulat din ako na he’s really nice. And parang humble. And siguro yung pinakanagustuhan ko is very soft-spoken kasi siya.”
In fact, Harold didn’t really have much to say.
“Very tahimik talaga siya. Actually, nung first meet namin, parang ako lang lahat talaga yung nagsasalita. Tapos siya nakikinig lang. Nag-dead air, tapos hindi siya nagsasalita. Super shy siya.”
Because Roma Mae had a dorm curfew, their first meet-ups were limited to conversations on campus.
“Lumalabas kami dun sa labas ng Gesù,” she said. “And then, dun lang kami nakaupo. Usap-usap lang. Kasi we kinda know each other kasi updated kami sa Instagram, ganyan. But at the same time, hindi ko din siya kilala.”
Pretty soon, Harold’s visits to the Loyola campus became so frequent that the guards at Ateneo’s Gate 3 entrance would peer into his car and just wave them through with a smile.
Although the UP and Ateneo campuses are less than a kilometer apart, anyone who traverses Katipunan regularly will tell you that it sometimes takes the equivalent of one-half of a UAAP basketball game to go from here to there.
But for Harold, it was simply something he had to do.
“Gumagawa naman ako ng time, para masiksik yung time ko para sa kanya. Kasi kailangan din yan pag nanliligaw.”
Then he quickly adds with a laugh: “Hanggang ngayon din naman.”
The Celebrity Couple
Harold Alarcon and Roma Mae Doromal officially became a couple in early 2023. He was several weeks removed from a Season 85 finals loss to Ateneo, while she was in the midst of her penultimate season as a libero for the Blue Eagles.
They tried to keep their relationship a secret for a while, but eventually went public with it. Roma Mae remembers the reactions they got when they were first spotted together walking near the Sunken Garden in Diliman.
“As in tawa na lang kami kasi may nakakita sa amin sa UP, sa Sunken Garden.” She has since made numerous trips back to partake of green mangoes and Mang Larry’s famous isaw.
Being athletes of the UAAP’s two most popular sports while representing two of the most popular teams can be difficult enough on its own. Being a couple? That brings a whole new set of challenges.
“Minsan hindi kami nakakapag-plano ng advance kasi di namin alam yung schedule ng trainings or yung games,” Harold says. “Tapos minsan hindi siya maka-watch ng games ko kasi may training siya. And ganon din ako sa kanya.”
For Roma Mae, it’s a challenge sometimes when both of them have to deal with the losses that come with being an athlete.
“Sometimes, I have this parang need ko din ng attention pero sometimes, kailangan ko i-balance out kasi he is more na parang may must need. Kapag kunyari, pareho kaming sad. Like ako sa volleyball ko, meron din ako pinag-dealan tapos siya din, meron din.
“Pinag-uusapan namin na we have to be 50-50 din. Like kunyari, he’s 80% and then I should give yung parang 20% na need niya and then pag ako, pag 70%, he must give me like the 30% na need ko, parang ganon. Give and take, and reciprocate talaga.”
Dealing with fans, whether during games or off the court, hasn’t been too much of an issue as both of them have grown into their newfound celebrity quite well. And when it comes to cheering the other one from the stands, Harold is generally laid back.
“Masasabi ko parang chill lang ako,” he said when asked what type of boyfriend-fan he is. “Pero sa loob ng utak ko madami nasasabi siguro. Pero pag sa outside relax lang.”
Roma Mae, though, has gone through a transformation.
“Sabi niya sa akin at first parang relax lang daw siya,” he recalls. “Pero nung ngayon parang napapatayo na siya, napapasigaw na daw siya.”
One lasting image of Roma Mae during the recent Season 87 men’s basketball finals was of her wearing Harold’s jersey and nervously watching him take two free throws that helped seal UP’s Game 1 win.
And what will Harold wear if Capital1 makes it to the finals in the PVL?
“Papagawa ako,” he said, laughing. “Kasi pangit naman pag jersey niya yung susuot. Fitting sa akin.”
But what will Roma Mae wear if, for example, UP and Ateneo meet in the finals?
“I’ll just wear white. Para safe. White kasi syempre Atenean ako, alumni ako ng Ateneo.” She is quick to point out, though, that during the Season 86 Final Four when UP and Ateneo clashed, she sat on the Ateneo side.
“I have this school pride,” she explains. “Pero ngayon, nag-graduate na ako, nakaupo na ako sa UP side. Pero still, naka-color white ako.”
‘The Circle of Life’
Harold Alarcon and Roma Mae Doromal will soon be celebrating their second anniversary as an athlete-couple.
Since they first became an item, Harold has lost and won in the UAAP finals, while Roma Mae has turned pro with the Capital1 Solar Spikers in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). As in any relationship, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, especially given the nature of their celebrity.
At times, Roma Mae has found it difficult to cope with all the losses her team has had to endure in the ongoing PVL season. She’s not accustomed to losing, and being a rookie on a new team has been challenging at times. It’s the advice she gets from Harold that helps put things in perspective.
“Sinasabi ko lang sa kanya na trust mo lang yung process mo,” he said. “First year mo pa lang naman sa PVL. Madami pang mangyayari diyan. Alam ko tuwing may challenges ka na hinaharap meron din dadating yan na mas magandang opportunity for you.”
Harold has also injected a key guiding principle in their relationship that’s straight out of The Lion King.
“Nire-remind ko lang siya palagi na parang circle of life lang ba. Parang for example ngayon nandito ka ngayon sa ilalim pero next time dadating ka rin sa…enjoy mo lang yung pinagdadaanan mo.”
Roma Mae appreciates Harold’s ability to say what she needs to hear, regardless of the situation.
“He knows how to approach me and he knows how to handle yung emotions ko. And at the same time, as a player din kasi, nararamdaman niya how it feels pag natalo.
“So, parang meron siyang nabibigay sakin, na advice, na sometimes kailangan ko ma-hear. And sometimes may gusto akong answer na sa kanya ko naririnig. Na kunyari, I have questions, why? Ganito nangyari, bakit ako? Bad game, ganito, ganyan.
“And then sometimes, siya yung nakaka-answer nun for me. So, very big help yun sakin kasi I have this peace of mind kasi alam ko na it’s normal to have a bad game like that.
“But at the same time, sometimes, kino-correct niya din ako na, no, it’s your fault, you have fault also, ganito, ganyan. Napapa-realize niya sakin na you have to acknowledge yung mali mo din to improve, ganito, ganyan.”
Conversely, Roma Mae also knows how to return the favor. After the Fighting Maroons lost the Season 86 championship in heartbreaking fashion, Harold was shown on television with a towel over his head, weeping uncontrollably. Roma Mae made sure she was there for him. She didn’t need to say anything, she just needed to be there.
“Well, that time, wala akong answer na mabigay sa kanya,” she recalled. “But the presence lang siguro. I think that is the most important thing na dapat ginawa ko. And yun yung ginawa ko. Yung sasamahan lang siya na tahimik lang kami. Kasi I can’t give the answer. Parang he knows kung ano yung kulang and which is which.”
In this instance, it was Roma Mae’s turn to invoke the circle of life.
“But at the same time, parang inaano ko lang siya na to keep going. And I know na part of life, always sinasabi namin, circle of life, maybe we’re just here below. Tapos kailangan lang namin to keep going para umangat ulit kami.
“So, yun yung pinaka-motto namin dalawa, circle of life.”
And as they celebrate another Valentine’s Day together on top of the circle, Harold Alarcon and Roma Mae Doromal know that whatever life throws at them, their maroon and blue bond is enough to overcome it.
Text SID VENTURA
Photography LORENZO CORRO
Creative Direction MARC YELLOW and CAS ASEOCHE
Hair and Makeup TWINKLE BERNARDO and ANGELI ALFONSO
Sittings Editor SID VENTURA
Production Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA
Special Thanks LENON ARTISTS MANAGEMENT and VP GLOBAL MANAGEMENT