Zamboanga City and the games

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

ZAMBOANGA CITY– I was sent here to cover the 2011 Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) National Collegiate Games and see and gauge how far our athletes who joined the Region 1 delegates can go. It’s my second time. The first was in 2006 when our province played host to the games and Lingayen was the main venue of the event using the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center, with the cities of Dagupan, San Carlos and Urdaneta also playing major roles in hosting the annual sportsfest. It was Atty. Gonzalo T. Duque, national co-chairman of PRISAA, who initiated the concept and it was very successfully done.

Although I’ve been in Mindanao many times before during my cycling heydays, particularly in 1977 when I won the five-day Tour of Mindanao, this is my first time to have a glimpse of this city whose people speak Chavacano, a dialect with Spanish roots. The place has lovely beaches, lots of fish, and rich in culture and well-preserved architecture. Being half Mexican and able to understand a little Spanish, I can pick up some of the words. It’s really nice to hear them speak their dialect. It reminds me of when I was in Pharr, Texas when all of my relatives conversed frequently in Spanish and only speak English when they talked to me.

It was day-two of events when I arrived here. My Punch colleague and Region 1 PRISAA executive director Phil Celi met me at the airport and relayed to me how our region had so far performed, garnering four gold, three silver and five bronze medals. Our men’s basketball contingent, majority of whom are University of Luzon players being the Region 1 champion mentored by Renato”Jack” Vidal, had already won twice in a row against Region 10 and Region 2 with scores of 74-55 and 68-58, respectively.

Celi and I watched our region’s game three at the Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex. We saw how our team lost a heart-breaking match, 85-86, to Caraga region due to two vital passing errors committed by forward John Larry Balmes in the dying seconds of the clash. If not for those big miscues, I believe we would have won that match. As usual, the volatile Vidal reprimanded Balmes for committing the erratic moves that cost them the game.

We won the fourth match by default against ARMM region but we lost the fifth play through double overtime, 99-96, against Region 11. But luckily, because of the quotient format, we entered the semis but we were beaten by Region V1, 101-96, to land fourth out of 15 regions, equaling the region’s 2006 feat. Region VII (Central Visayas) won the overall championship as far as the medals are concerned.

In volleyball, we saw the same thing happened to our dribblers, winning their early games and succumbing in the long run to the favorite teams. All in all, our region collected 11 gold, 11 silver and 19 bronze medals to land seventh overall.

Celi said there’s a big possibility that Cebu City will be the venue next year then Pangasinan in 2013.

If God permits, I’ll cover again the event next year, and of course also in the year 2013.

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By the time you read this piece, the Le Tour de Filipinas is already in progress. I’ll be joining the event not to compete but as the cycling consultant of the event’s chief organizer, Gary Cayton, and to represent both Pangasinan and this paper. Synopsis of this April 16-19 summer sports spectacle, which will be participated in by seven foreign teams and eight local commercial squads, will be printed here next week. Twelve of the 75 participants are from Pangasinan namely, Baler Ravina of Asingan, Sherwin Carrera of San Fabian, Irish Valenzuela of Mapandan, Santy Barnachea of Umingan, Emilito Atilano of Basista, Mark Julius Bonzo of Sual, Renato Sembrano of Mangaldan, Ericson Obosa of Manaoag, Merculio Ramos, Jr. of Binalonan, Salvador Salvador of San Manuel and Arnel Quirimit and Nilo Estayo of Pozorrubio.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” Then Pilate asked Him, saying “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” Luke 23: 1-3

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