Sports Eye
Colorful and successful Pista’y Dayat festival
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
LAST year I deliberately did not attend Pangasinan’s annual and widely acclaimed Pista’y Dayat celebration, avoiding the scorching heat that may cause me to suffer a heat stroke, but I dared to go to Lingayen this time with some media people and shrugged off the nation’s high temperature. And last May 1, I found this year’s even as more colorful and livelier compared to the celebration in 2008 to 2011.
Firstly, I was impressed by the presence of a much larger throng of visitors this year mostly from our southern neighboring places including the beach lovers from Manila to swim, watch, enjoy and join the different activities, particularly the sports competitions like the Palaro sa Tabing Dagat, Paboksing ed Gulpo, Triathlon Invitational Challenge, Ladies’ Beach Volleyball Tournament, Water Sports Activities, and the Dragon Boat Exhibition, among others.
Secondly, I also noted how the twelve-day affair was orderly and efficiently organized from day one (April 19) to the last day (May 3). But it was the ladies’ beach volleyball tourney that attracted much of my attention, which was also viewed by hundreds of volleyball buffs, including Pangasinan’s 2nd District Rep. Leopoldo N. Bataoil. I focused on this sport not just because of the two-piece outfit of the contestants but because volleyball is my fifth favorite sport next to cycling, boxing, basketball, and table tennis. I used to play this game during my teenage days but discontinued it because I was not your high-leaping, strong spiker. Volleyball, like basketball, is a sport where ‘height is might,’ as the saying goes. Surprisingly, the Lingayen-based PEO (Provincial Engineering Office) tandem of Casandra Lida and Melanie Carrera scored a major upset of their life by downing the highly favored and nationally renowned University of the East duo of Pia Sarmiento and Leuseth Dawis (see related story on this page) to the delight of the partisan crowd. Bataoil together with provincial sports coordinator Modesto Operania personally handed the trophies to the winners. (It was during the break period where I unexpectedly met two youthful senatorial candidates Sonny Angara and Greco Belgica, former PBA player Paul Alvarez and our province PNP acting provincial director Senior Superintendent Marlou Chan during my lunch at Consuelo Restaurant).
And despite the absence of a cycling event this year, I still doff my hat to Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. and to all the members of the organizing committee who tirelessly gave their best efforts to make this year’s Pista’y Dayat celebration a very colorful and successful occasion. Carry on the good work guys.
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My sincere congratulations to the organizers of this year’s Vuelta Dagupan amateur bikefest held last April 20-21 for a job well done. My reliable source said that unlike last year, the two-day bikefest this season was participated in by 198 cyclists from different places like Manila, Zambales, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Tarlac, Baguio City, Nueva Ecija and as far as from Cebu, and of course the host Dagupan City and Pangasinan. Mabuhay din kayo, mga ginoo.
Self-serving or not, I cannot help but to congratulate the SK council of barangay Buenlag, Mangaldan, headed by my daughter SK chairperson Raisa for successfully staging the 2nd Brgy. Buenlag SK Mini-Olympics on April 20-21. Like last year, the two-day sports scrimmages were composed of chess, table tennis, marathon and the indigenous game called dama. The sportsfest was participated in exclusively by Buenlag residents in line with the celebration of our barangay fiesta. The two-day occasion was under the supervision of the barangay council headed by our sports-minded Punong Barangay Melchor D. de Guzman. Awarding of prizes will be held during the barangay night on May 4.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. PROVERBS 30: 5-6
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