Sports Eye
Ebdane’s sports, tourism advocacies
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
IT WAS my bosom buddy and media colleague Jun Velasco who introduced and connected me to then DPWH secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. If my memory serves me right, I think it was in October 2009 when I first met him.
I already knew of Ebdane of course, a Pangasinan ‘son-in-law’ being married to the former Alma Cabanayan of San Nicolas. He was always in the limelight during his term as one of the secretaries of former President GMA and as the former PNP chief of the entire archipelago. Obviously a very talented and skilled personality.
It was JunV who initiated our first sports project supported by Ebdane and that was the 2009 Pangasinan Day Cycling Challenge held November 13 that started and finished in my town Mangaldan and was run over 235 kilometers, passing the key places of the province. That was the first salvo of his six cycling plans after entering politics. And despite being a greenhorn in the political arena, he won the Zambales governorship in a convincing fashion, defeating the Zambales political icon, the lawyer and re-electionist Amor Deloso.
The six cycling races were held without a hitch. Four of the six races were participated in by the superstars in Philippine cycling while the two were exclusively for amateur riders. Three of these races were done in Zambales and the other three were in Pangasinan, Tarlac and Baguio City. The last three races he sponsored under the aegis of his son Jun Omar were his contribution for Noynoy’s presidential campaign. JunV said Ebdane is very close to P-Noy especially when P-Noy’s mother Cory was still the head of the land. He didn’t elaborate.
We also staged one boxing event during the San Marcelino, Zambales town fiesta on February 21 last year. A huge throng of spectators watched that memorable clash of amateur boxers with the towns’ chief executive Jose F. Rodriguez attending the affair from start to finish. That was the largest crowd that I ever saw in my life in amateur boxing. In fact, because of its success, another one will be staged this coming February 20 again in conjunction with the celebration of the town fiesta.
In his first State of the Province Address (SOPA) delivered recently at the capital town Iba, Ebdane said he’s organizing and sponsoring sports and fun events aimed to showcase the tourism spots in Zambales, especially the northern part of the province. Among these sporting events are motocross racing from Mangatarem, Pangasinan to Sta. Cruz, Zambales via the newly constructed rugged road through the Zambales mountains; water sports like surfing, triathlon, cross-country run, marathon; and of course cycling, where I believe our Pangasinan riders will be invited to participate.
“We are doing everything to market Zambales as a tourist destination,” said Ebdane.
“Our province has a lot of potentials and resources, but focus is what we need to really identify a market that will solely be our own. We are getting there, albeit slowly. We have lined up several events for the coming summer aside from the regular festivals that the provincial government hosts,” he explained.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: And Jesus said “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” Mark 3: 24-29
