Sports Eye

By February 10, 2020Opinion, Sports Eye

Pangasinan busy with sports activities this summer

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

AMID the national threat of the dreaded “nCoV” (Novel Corona Virus), there’s nothing  stopping our province to hold multiple sports activities this year, except the annual R1AA (Region 1 Athletic Association) Meet which was supposed to be held this month but had to be postponed by the organizing Department of Education for obvious reasons.

Activities of the Pangasinan Sports Academy and the annual Pangasinan Open Chess Tournament pioneered by our former Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr., like the activities held annually, i.e., the well-known Governor’s Cup Pangasinan Inter-Town/City Basketball Tournament, the multiple games Inter-LGU Unity Games, Inter-Agency Games, Paggalaw tan Olopan ed Gobyerno Itanduro (POGI) Cup, all initiated by our sports-minded and the hard-working father of the province Amado “Pogi” I. Espino, III are continuing.

According to the Pangasinan Sports Development and Management Council (PSDMC) executive officer Modesto Operania and deputy executive officer Marlon Domalanta, Gov. Pogi even added a multi-stage bicycle marathon in his sports program this year which will be dubbed “First Governor’s Cup Tour ed Pangasinan” slated this coming April 15-19. The five-day road battle will be directed by this writer with my eldest son Jazy assisting me. Yes, the bikathon will traverse all the 44 towns and four cities of the province and exclusively for Pangasinenses spearheaded by our three Pangasinan Tour champions Ronald Oranza of Villasis, Joshua Cariño of Mangaldan, the come-backing and the only four-time Tour champion in the Philippines Santy Barnachea of Umingan. Of course, big cash prizes and handsome trophies and medals will be up for grabs. Complete details of this event will be announced later after all things were finally ironed out.

A national event in nature among hospital employees featuring multiple games like basketball, volleyball, chess, lawn and table tennis, cycling (mountain bike only), among others, will be held this coming first week of March to be hosted by Pangasinan (NRSCC) and Dagupan City. Dubbed as “2020 DOH Friendship Games,” the cycling event will be conducted at Baywalk Area in Lingayen, according to the event coordinator Ray Zambrano of Region 1 Medical Center.

The annual San Fabian and Binmaley bikefests that my son and I directed was staged last January 18 and January 26, in conjunction with their respective town fiesta celebration. Two more road battles will be conducted next month: the First Lingayen Bagoong Festival on March 15 under the initiative of capital town Vice Mayor Judy Vargas, and the Casa Manor Mapandan Cycling Classic under the aegis of Councilor Carl Vega. The Mapandan bikefest will be run in two categories with two dates. According to Vega, the mountain bike event is scheduled on March 15 and the road bike battle is slated on March 22.

The prestigious 10-day national bikathon 2020 Ronda Pilipinas featuring the Philippines cream of the crop including our best 14 riders starts on February 23. The Pangasinan provincial office is hosting the sixth stage on February 29. It will start and finish in Lingayen traversing some of the province’ western towns particularly Alaminos City. The March 1 seventh stage start will also be hosted by the province and finishes in Palayan, City, Nueva Ecija.

As long as our Gov. Pogi the chief executive of Pangasinan, our sports development will always be active and will never-ever expire and we love it. That’s for sure.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites. 1 CORINTHIANS 6: 9

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