SAN CARLOS CITY–They lost miserably the first time around and now they want to salvage whatever was left of their tattered reputation inside the basketball court, that is.

The city officials, headed by Mayor Julier Resuello and his younger brother, Vice Mayor Joseres Resuello, are calling for a rematch this month with the diocesan priests here who drubbed them three weeks ago in a friendly basketball match.

During the first game, held August 13 at the St. Charles Academy (SCA) gym, the clergy trounced the city officials, 84-49.

It is still not known if the playing priests will oblige the politicians.

“We thought we were going to face old priests,” laughed Resuello, presently the youngest mayor in Pangasinan.

Mayor Resuello said he and his team, composed of the newly elected councilors, are also keen on another game following a positive feedback from the community.

He said his team went to the game unprepared but confident not realizing that they were up against young priests who took to basketball as their favorite sport and pastime.

Resuello said the priests, headed by Father Jimmy Quinto, director of SCA, and the team ministry of the St. Dominic parish led by Father Bert Arenas, and their imports, were mostly young and active, unlike the city officials who barely get a chance to exercise “owing to their fulltime public service work”.

The mayor said the officials plan to bring their own cheering squad at the planned rematch to boost the officials’ morale and shout down the students studying in the Catholic school who formed the cheering squad for the priests.

During the first match, some of the officials who obviously did not have the stamina to finish the game were seen to have asked their respective bodyguards to substitute for them. But this did not matter.

And the priests did not protest either but one spectator was overheard to say that the priests merely prayed “forgive them for they know not how to play.”

The mayor, however, happily recalled that he was the “highest pointer” in his team.

Resuello said he wants to maintain the new good relations established between the local government and the priests who have signified their support to the city administration’s development projects.

“That is something never done before,” Resuello said.

“We were invited for dinner and we took it as a good opportunity for us to dialogue with them. The priests ventilated their concerns and these now serve as our guide to further improve our public service,” he said.

It was during that dinner when the dream basketball match was hatched. #

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments