Cyclists Barnachea, Catalan deserve recognition

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

YEAR 2012 promises to be a most memorable year for us sports devotees because it’s an Olympic year, with the games set in London, England. And I’m sure those athletes I saw during the First Youth Olympic Games staged in Singapore last year, especially the swimmers, are now bound for the London Games to test their mettle against the veterans.

If my plan will not miscarry, hopefully I would be able watch the games in the flesh with my compadre, PDI sports writer Recah Trinidad. To watch an Olympic Games is one of my biggest dreams in life, in addition to journeying to Israel and see the birthplace of Jesus Christ, where he was raised and crucified, as well as Mt. Sinai where the prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments from Yahweh. It’s also my earnest desire to watch in the flesh the world famous bicycle race “Tour de France.” Hopefully these dreams of mine will become reality before I vanish from this planet. We’re not getting any younger and I am not embarrassed to say (unlike other people) that I just turned 66 last Sunday. My big thanks to the Creator that I have reached this age; many of my contemporaries have already gone. God bless.

If you’re really a sports enthusiast, year 2011 was also unforgettable because two of our local cyclists, Santy Barnachea of Barangay Esperanza in Umingan and Alfie Catalan of Barangay Cabacaraan in San Manuel, brought big honors to the province.

Barnachea conquered the 12-day LBC Ronda Pilipinas Tour last October to pocket the whopping one million peso top prize (the biggest in the history of Philippine cycling) and Catalan won the gold medal in the individual pursuit race in the just concluded Southeast Asia (SEA) Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Barnachea, 36, also won the four-day 2002 Tour de Calabarzon and the eight-day 2006 Padyak Pinoy Tour. On the other hand, Catalan, 29, was also the gold medalist during the 2005 and 2007 SEA Games of the same event.

I attended the special edition of the Media in Action press forum in Lingayen. During the forum with the eloquent PPC president Atty. Gonzalo T. Duque as moderator, I politely suggested that the provincial government, through the initiative of the two 6th District board members Alfie Bince and Ranjit Shahani, pass a resolution recognizing the two cyclists and give them awards for bringing accolades to the province this year. Bince, without thinking twice, obliged and right away got the details of the two cycling heroes from me. Barnachea and Catalan deserve to be recognized and I think they are the only two athletes this year from Pangasinan who won top national and international laurels for the province. The recognition award, if it pushes through, will boost the morale of these two athletes and who knows, they might win again next year or years from now. And also congratulations to Gov. Espino for the province’s successful bid to host the 2012 Palarong Pambansa. It will be the biggest event in Pangasinan next year.

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You might call it self-serving, but I can’t help but congratulate my youngest child Raisa A. Garcia for being adjudged as the No. 1 Most Outstanding SK Chairperson (barangay level) in the entire province. Second to her was Kelvin Jay Catalan of Bayambang and third was Dennis Raymund Bielza of Alaminos City. Raisa, 17, is the SK chairperson of Barangay Buenlag, Mangaldan, the place where I was born and raised. She’s a second year nursing student at the University of Pangasinan and loves to play pingpong with her twin sister Raina. When she was 11 years old, she also participated in the 50-meter sprint event during the 2005 Milo Little Olympics held at Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center in Lingayen. She qualified for the finals with Raina but finished last among the eight. Raina placed fourth. 

In the municipal level, Colin Reyes of Mabini topped the award which is also called the “OSKAR” or Outstanding SK Award and Recognition. Philip Medrano of Bayambang placed second and Jayson Bolloso of Binalonan was third. Congrats also to them. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! 

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord.” LUKE 2: 10-11

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