Owgwen Opens Up About the Tears, Fears, and Joy of Being a Father

In July, Rowgien Stimpson Unigo, aka Owgwen, thought he was prepared to face the biggest accomplishment of his life, but he wasn’t. No words are enough to describe the moment he saw his son for the first time. 

“Noong una kong narinig yung iyak ni Grocky, tuwang tuwa na ako kasi ang lakas ng iyak niya, naisip ko healthy siya,” Owgwen told ALL-STAR. It was a moment of pure joy and awe. 

“Noong nakita ko na siya at nahawakan ko na siya, laking tuwa sa puso ko kasi kaya ko palang gumawa ng blessing, ng miracle na ganoon. Tuwang tuwa ako.”

(“When I heard his first cry, I was overjoyed, I knew he was healthy. And when I first held him, my heart swelled with joy! I couldn’t believe this miracle was from me. I was elated.”)

It was one of the very rare moments when Owgwen cried tears of joy. 

In a candid interview, Owgwen opened up about the challenges, dreams, and sacrifices of fatherhood. 

A Father’s Fear

As an esports player, Owgwen barely gets to spend time with his son because he lives in a boot camp that is far from their home. If he’s lucky, he gets to see his family once a week. 

“Sakripisyo ko as a father, marami na rin. Especially sa asawa ko. Sinasakripisyo ko yung oras ko at pagiging malayo sa kanila kasi malayo yung boot camp sa bahay namain, every weekend lang ako nakakabisita sa kanila. 

(“As a father, I already have plenty of sacrifices, especially my wife. My time away from them is a sacrifice because the boot camp is far from our house, I only get to spend the weekends with them.”)

While Owgwen dreams of a bright future for Grocky, he’s also determined to protect his son from the struggles that shaped his own life. 

“Ang ayaw kong maranasan ni Grocky na naranasan ko noon ay yung paghihirap namin as a family. Ayaw ko maranasan ni Grocky iyon. Gusto ko, araw-araw, may makakain siya, habambuhay niya. Gusto ko ma-provide lahat ng needs niya at hindi ako makulangan sa pagiging magulang ko.”

(“I don’t want Grocky to experience the poverty we experienced before as a family. I don’t want him to experience that. I want him to be able to eat everyday for the rest of his life. I want to provide for his needs and I hope I won’t have shortcomings as a father.”)

Owgwen remembers the days when he and his seven siblings and would only have broth and rice for a whole week because the family was poor. 

“Yung mga lessons na narealize ko ngayong daddy na ako, is kailangan mo talaga mag sakripisyo ng oras at schedule mo kasi iba talaga yung schedule kapag nagka-baby ka na. Every two to three hours, nagigising siya, you need to sacrifice sleep talaga para sa health ng anak mo. 

(“The lessons I learned when I became a father is that you need to sacrifice your time and schedule when the baby arrives. Every two to three hours, he wakes up, so you need to sacrifice sleep for the health of your child.”)

But it is not just time and distance that Owgwen sacrifices for his family. He allots more than half of his income to Grocky. He doesn’t have the luxury of spending on cool things for himself. 

“Yung 70 percent ng income ko, inilalaan ko kay Grocky, tapos yung natitirang 30 pecent, pamasahe ko na lang at necessities ko na lang kung sakaling may kailangan ako para sa sarili ko,” said Owgwen.

(“Seventy percent of my income goes to Grocky, and the remaining 30 percent is for my transportation allowance and some necessities.”)

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Lessons From His Own Father

At 23, Owgwen is determined to be as great as his father was to him. 

“Ang natutunan ko sa tatay ko tungkol sa pagiging ama, lagi mong pagtuunan ng pansin ang anak mo, dapat hands on ka talaga sa paglaki niya. Mahalaga rin yung guidance mo as a daddy kasi doon mo makikita yung paglaki ng anak mo saka paano siya lalaki nang tama.”

(“What I learned from my father is that you have to spend time with your child, you have to be hands-on in raising him. It’s important that you guide your child well so he will become a good person.”)

After a pause, he remembers something very important. 

“Natutunan ko rin sa tatay ko na suportahan ang passion ng anak, katulad ng nangyari sa akin. Sinuportahan nila ako sa passion ko sa esports kaya medyo maayos-ayos ang estado ko ngayon.”

(“My father taught me to be very supportive of the passion of your child, like how he supported me with esports. I’m where I am now because they supported me.”)

Big Dreams for Grocky

​​Owgwen’s dreams for his son are simple but significant, especially since it’s something Owgwen wasn’t able to fully pursue.

“Pangarap ko kay Grocky paglaki, unang-una, makapagptapos siya ng pag-aaral kasi ako, hindi ako nakapagtapos. Senior High graduate lang ako. Gusto ko makapagtapos siya sa college niya. Gusto ko rin maganda yung buhay niya, iyon ang pangarap ko para sa kanya, kaya ipo-provide ko lahat ng kailangan niya.”

(“My dream for Grocky is for him to finish his studies because I did not finish mine. I only graduated from senior high. I want Grocky to finish college. I want him to have a comfortable like, that’s my dream for him, and I will provide everything he needs.”)

It’s easy to see the glamorous side of being an esports star: the tournaments, the sponsorships, the fame. But behind the scenes, Owgwen is making sacrifices not just for his career, but for his family. And while he continues to dominate in the gaming arena, his true legacy will always be Grocky—the son who redefined what winning truly means.