Sports Eye
Visiting Macau and Hong Kong anew
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
I WAS in Hong Kong and Macau last week for a four-day respite (Nov. 1-4) and for a change of ambiance with my son Jazy and his girlfriend Irene. We had 14 hours in Macau and the rest of the time were spent in Hong Kong for sightseeing and, of course, drinking with our friends whom I missed already for more than a year. Despite our short stay in Macau hosted by his cousin Riza Almonte Caldito, Jazy showed me the place where his Pitaki Boyz Cycling Team competed in a criterium race in the last stage of the eight-day 2008 Tour of South China, won by well-known Portuguese lanky rider Micael Isidoro.
The best finisher among Jazy’s boys was Ericson Obosa of Manaoag landing in 29th position, 1:16 minutes behind Isidoro and 25th in the general classification won by Xu Gang of China. Although this was my second visit to this “Las Vegas of Asia,” I also saw the world-famous casino buildings of Sands, Wynn, MGM, Venetian, Casino Lisboa, to name some. Sure, I entered the den and simply watched how the games were played.
Macau is now a world boxing title fight venue for the fight promotions of well-known Top Rank of Bob Arum and ALA Promotions of Antonio Aldeguer. Among those who fought in Macau were Filipino boxing greats like world eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao against Brandon Rios, Brian Viloria versus Francisco Estrada, Nonito Donaire, Jr. contra Simpiwe Vetyeka, to name a few. Macau is also home to UFC fights, now a popular martial art sport.
We moved on to Hong Kong after lunch of November 2, where I met some of my pals headed by Urdaneta City born Ruben “Raymond” Perez, owner of a karaoke bar. On November 3 in the same singing den, I met, again, the former cyclist and two-time SEA Games gold medalist (2005 and 2007) Marites Bitbit. Marites’ mother is from Malasiqui, and her father is from Toledo City, Cebu and both know how to speak Pangasinan and Ilocano as well as Cebuano. We had a lot of chitchats but most was centered on our cycling heydays, bringing multiple honors to our beloved province. Marites, the former lone female member of the Pitaki Boyz Cycling Team, now works as a tourist guide in Hong Kong. She quit cycling in 2011.
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As of this writing (Thursday morning), the dates of the postponed best-of-three championship series between the defending champions Lyceum Northwestern University Dukes and University of Pangasinan PHINMA Flames of the Universities Colleges Athletic Association (UCAAP) Jimmy Fernandez Basketball Challenge remains unsettled due to unavailability of the People’s Astrodome.
“This is the longest college basketball tournament that I’d had ever known in my life,” said former UCAAP commissioner Angel Gumarang. “There’s something amiss here . The organizers are so choosy about the venue not realizing that the championship is becoming anti-climatic,” he averred. I agree. But with the resumption of the classes, the astrodome will likely be available this week.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. PHILIPPIANS 4: 6-7
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