Sports Eye
Gov. Pogi’s province cagefest 4th edition
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
ELATED
by the success of the first three editions, the sports-minded Pangasinan’s
dynamic leader Gov. Amado “Pogi’ I. Espino, III is set to start the fourth
season of the “4th Governor’s Cup Pangasinan Inter-Town/City
Basketball Tournament” on November 16 at Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center
(NRSCC) in Lingayen.
According to Modesto
Operania, executive officer of the organizing Pangasinan Sports Development and
Management Council, unlike last year that had 24 towns and cities participating
won by Eastern Pangasinan champion Urdaneta City, the annual cage tiff has ballooned
to 31 teams this year. As of this writing (November 7), leading the cast in the
three conferences are: Western Pangasinan – perennial title-challenger Alaminos
City, Mabini, Agno, Anda, Sual, first edition champion Binmaley, Labrador,
Bugallon, Basista, and second season winner the capital town Lingayen.
The Eastern
Pangasinan will be composed of the much-improved Sto. Tomas, Alcala, Laoac,
Asingan, Balungao, Natividad, San Nicolas, San Quintin, Sta. Maria, Tayug and
Umingan.
I guess the Central Pangasinan bloc got the most dreaded teams to reckon with, starred by reigning champ Urdaneta, three-time first runner-up Manaoag, perpetual title-contenders San Carlos City, Bautista, Calasiao, Bayambang, Sta. Barbara, my town Mangaldan, Malasiqui, and the come-backing Mapandan. I’m not belittling teams in the other groups because anything can happen and I’m confident that some upsets will happen this period. Again, unlike last year, I heard that most of the participating towns this year seriously conducted their own respective inter-barangay tournaments objective to polish their squads and are now riding with new young flairs. Let’s wait and see.
Pangasinan is so uniquely rich in sports lore and history that we can’t run out of stories especially in cycling and basketball. This province already produced 22 national Tour cycling champions starting in 1957 when Manaoag son Rufino Gabot won the fabled second Tour of Luzon and the last two (so far) were Joshua Cariño of Mangaldan and Ronald Oranza of Villasis in 2018, and countless basketball stars originated by the late 1936 Olympian and Senator Ambrosio Padilla and Ronnie Magsanoc of Lingayen, the father-and-son Ritualos Floreindo and Renren of Pozorrubio, Orly Bauzon of Calasiao, the late Jimmy Javier of Binmaley, Marlou Aquino and Christian Calaguio of Sta. Barbara, Romualdo Cabading of Villasis, Danny Ildefonso of Urdaneta, Jun Marzan and Lordy Tugade of Alaminos, Romulo Mamaril of Malasiqui, to name some.
Well-known sportsman Gov. Pogi expressed confidence that sports will have a better place in the next years to come. We in the sporting world value the importance of his unselfish support that can give in building champion athletes with very positive sign that will be better than before, like what happened to ‘The Voice Kids’ champion Vanjoss Bayaban of Asingan. There’s so much to look forward to. But more than that, there’s another chance for all teams to have a fresh start, and that’s the fourth season of Gov. Pogi’s cage tourney. See you there, guys.
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My big congrats for the very successful staging the “First Limahong Channel Bike For A Cause” criterium race held last November 3 conducted at the Baywalk Area in Lingayen headed by the town’s sports-buff chief executive Leopold N. Bataoil and directed by Lingayen Bantay Kalikasan czar Rico Dunluan Solis. Also to Robert Anoc, Nikko Bravo Manuel, Manu Jr., Mrs. Gianne Sison Solis, Myrna, Violy, Judith (I forgot their last names), PNP, POSO, RHU 1, LDRRMO and AJ’s Bikehouse and Accessories Lingayen. Mabuhay po kayong lahat.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those diligently seek Him. HEBREWS 11: 6
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