Pichay, chess and cycling

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

PROSPERO “Butch” Pichay, the president of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, has been winning sports fans in Northern Luzon, particularly in our big province, Pangasinan. I believe it’s because he has shown a huge interest not only in chess but also in cycling, considered as one of the favorite sports of the Pangasinenses.

In fact, his friends are sponsoring a cycling event on May 1, 2007 in conjunction with the celebration of the annual sea festival, which will be dubbed as the “Pista’y Dayat Cycling Classic”. I am part of the organizing committee handling the road battle this coming Tuesday that will cover the fourth, third, second and first districts. It will be participated in by the superstars in Philippine cycling.

His friends also told me that he was behind the world chess tournament in Subic, Zambales held recently as well as a perennial sponsor of a Region 2 chess competitions.

I told his friends that my fellow cycling aficionados in Ilocandia want Butch to revive the cycling interest in the area, complaining that it is only Pangasinan that is getting the breaks in the sport.

“Why, Pareng Jess, are we not also fans and admirers of cycling greats like you?” Jun Guiang of the Ilocos Norte Sentinel, who doubles as Manila Bulletin correspondent said.

Summertime is cycling time and with the summer school break, it is truly a most conducive time for holding even just a two-stage summer sports spectacle that could be called the “Tour of Ilocandia.”

And from the looks of it, Butch Pichay, who is gaining popularity every day especially in Region 1, may yet back this concept by his friends.

It is sad that since the Tour founder Atty. Geruncio Lacuesta died, the pioneer Tour of Luzon multi-stage event has died an “un-natural death.” Reason is that those who came to continue Lacuesta’s project did not really know how to run it.

It’s not that easy, you know, because sponsors are hard to get nowadays.  Promoters like me know and understand this.

In the past couple of years, the province cycling godfathers and patrons like Region 1 DPWH Director Fidel D. Ginez, Mayors Leo de Vera, Hernani Braganza, Sammy Rosario, Herminio Romero, Cong. Gener Tulagan, Sta. Barbara mayoralty bet Rey Velasco, Engr. Rosendo So, former BI Commissioner Al Fernandez, Jr., San Fabian ABC President Roland Villegas and many others are trying to contribute to the development of this number one sport of the province.

But we don’t have a well-organized national event the likes of what the late Geruncio Lacuesta started. The Duque brothers Cesar, Gonzalo and Ado are known cycling buffs, and I just feel sad that earlier talks started with me and media colleague Jun Velasco for a Duque-backed national Tour did not materialize.

Boss Cesar told me that a national tour would be too much for UPang to sponsor. Maybe Tour of Pangasinan is ok, he said. By the time Cesar ok’d the notion, Jun V, who earlier broached the idea was already busy somewhere in Manila.

So a great idea was shelved, until Butch came to the scene and took hold of it.

With the  “Pista’y Dayat  Cycling Classic” a done deal on May I,  I’m sure that Butch’s popularity in Pangasinan will rise skyhigh. I know in 1995, former Gov. Oscar Orbos sponsored a five-day Tour of Pangasinan, and won the governorship with a 97 percent margin.

Had he run again, I would have proposed it again. Enters Butch Pichay, the brilliant, articulate and great sports leader. If not for Pichay, the brouhaha and gaffe in the chess federation could still be in limbo until now.

Because of his zeal for sports, warmth and friendly attitude, and his all-out support to sports, I am optimistic that a Tour of Ilocandia plan will get off the ground.

There is already a growing clamor for Butch Pichay to go for the cycling event in the Solid North, as per report when no less than former Gov. Carmeling Pichay Crisologo spoke highly of Butch in front of thousands of Ilocanos in the first leg of Pichay’s caravan in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, his place of roots.

The Ilocanos are saying that Butch could top in Ilocandia with teammate Luis Chavit Singson because the two truly love sports and got the hearts of the youth. Heard about this forecast, the amiable Butch was quoted as saying, “tama na ho yong manalo tayo sa ating bayan (It would be enough that I win in my hometown).”

With the Pista’y Dayat Cycling Classic ready to go, media colleagues are fondly and in jest call the event as ‘Pichay’ Dayat Cycling Classic.

 It’ has a good rhyme to it.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/)

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