Sports Eye

Inter-Town/City cagefest will continue

By Jesus A. Garcia, Jr.

THE midterm election is over but the bickering, mudslinging and blaming still continue.

The Filipino people had already spoken with some surprising results. New faces emerged to lead the towns and cities of Pangasinan, among them, the capital town Lingayen, my town Mangaldan, Mapandan, Sta. Barbara and cities of Dagupan, Alaminos and Urdaneta.

As I expected, our province’s hardworking, energetic and sports-minded chief executive Gov. Amado “Pogi” Espino, III was reelected. This assures us that his sports projects: inter-town/city basketball tournament, Pangasinan Sports Academy and LGU Unity Games will surely continue for the next three years. These annual youth development programs were successfully managed by the Pangasinan Sports Development Council (PSDMC) supervised by executive officers Modesto Operania and Marlon Domalanta. I believe these activities were some of the reasons why he won the hearts and votes of many Pangasinenses especially the athletes and the young ones.

That’s my fearless and forecast. According to Domalanta, the fourth edition of the popular annual inter-town/city cagefest will unfold after the rainy season. Let’s wait.

*                *                *                *

Outdoor sports like cycling, football, beach volleyball, golf, among others, will be sidelined during the wet season, but basketball will continue. In fact, because of the change in my town Mangaldan’s leadership which will be assumed by my barangay mate Mrs. Marilyn Lambino, some of Mangaldan basketball leaders, including my child Jazy, former LNU head coach Gilmark Meneses, Danny Villanueva and Dr. George Palma are planning to hold a Mangaldan Inter-Barangay cagefest soon. The planned cagefest will enable the town to scout potential cagers in preparation for the 4th Governor’s Cup Inter-Town/City Basketball Tournament expected to b held in November.

“After six years of stagnancy under Mayor Bona de Vera’s administration, it’s high time we t hold an inter-barangay basketball tourney under the new leadership of Mayor-elect Marilyn Lambino to select players that will compose the Mangaldan team that will compete in the prestigious province-wide annual Governor’s Cup of Gov. Pogi,” said Meneses.

“Our town Mangaldan is a basketball fanatic place but unfortunately the Mangaldan squad that we fielded in the Governor’s Cup for the last three years never reached the semifinals, unlike before during the term of the Mayor Tito Sarzaba when we finished second and third for two straight years,” echoed Villanueva. Villanueva was the head coach during those Mangaldan basketball luminous years.

“Change is coming to the new sports chapter in Mangaldan,” Jazy quipped. I agree. Jazy is the prospective Mangaldan sports consultant of the in-coming Lambino administration. And hopefully, too, the regular and star-studded annual town fiesta bikefest of Mangaldan called “Werweran” being participated in by superstars in Philippine cycling before will be revived starting next year’s town fiesta. Let’s wait and see.

*                *                *                *

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” MATTHEW 22: 36-40


Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments