Message from Houston, Texas

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I RECEIVED an email last week from a fellow who is an avid reader of The PUNCH through our website. He is very much concerned about sports in Dagupan and his subject is about my article last February 11. His name is Ceasar Zarate, a Dagupeño, now based in Houston, Texas. Here’s his message in full.

Good morning sir. You are a living legend like Lance Armstrong of America. I was a little boy when you were the champion of the Marlboro Tour and represented our province, Pangasinan. I knew you are from Mangaldan or Mapandan, am I right? I read your columns Sports Eye all the time and it’s good that you are around when everybody had retired. I am from Houston, Texas and I came to the U.S. in May, 2000 from Dagupan City. At present I am a volunteer in the U.S. Army, Specialist/Spc Zarate, Ceasar, stationed at Fort Hood, Tx. My father’s name is Abdon Zarate from barangay Pantal, Dagupan City, the former barangay champion coach during the Inter-Barangay Tournament in Dagupan City. I have read your column dated Feb. 11 on Sports Eye. You are right about the dying basketball sports in Dagupan City. I was down there and witnessed almost throughout my young age the lack of any sports program for the whole city. It’s been forgotten how sports was downgraded by politicians. The say “Kabataan ang Pagasa ng Bayan” but how come youths were denied the rights to have tournaments to show their physical skills and talents, their dreams to be a professional player, a varsity player scholar and have free college school education? They did not do anything to help the youth to enhance their talent, instead they died from drugs instead of keeping the sports alive like holding Inter-Barangay Basketball Tournaments. I was a former varsity player in Saint John’s Cathedral School and played in the Private School Basketball League by the late Commissioner Manny Vent Cornel. You have opened our hearts and mind and continue to love any sports. I am ready to support any basketball tournament in the future for Dagupan City for the sake of all our kids. Thank you for being there, Jess Garcia, Jr. and we salute you and appreciate all your good works for the sake of sports. More power to you all. God Bless.

          Spc. Zarate, Caesar, United States Army

           58th Transportation 3rd Chemical Brigade

* * * * *

Thank you very much Caesar for being an avid reader of The PUNCH online, especially this column. I salute you too for being concerned about sports, particularly here in Dagupan City. You are one of a few.

I was there in Houston, Texas last November and stayed at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Blandino Caguioa for five days and five nights on my way to Pharr, Texas, the place of my father. How I wish I had known your address or phone number prior to my trip so we could have met up with my Filipino cycling friends there in Houston. Like us, Mr. and Mrs. Caguioa are Pangasinenses from San Carlos City. If you wish, you can get acquainted with them through their numbers 8323641894 or 8326077419. I hope we could meet each other on my third visit to my father’s place, if not this year, most likely next year.

Caesar, I knew your father. I think that your dad became the barangay captain of Perez during the 70’s, a former policeman of Dagupan City and erstwhile president of the Dalton group. Being the sports reporter of this weekly paper, I always bumped into him during the 2006 Pangasinan-PRISAA basketball tournament held at Dagupan People’s Astrodome. He was the coach of one big educational institution here in Pangasinan that participated in the annual tourney.

More power to you and God bless us all!

* * * * *

Congrats to Kagawad Judith Gubatan for a job well-done during my town Mangaldan’s fiesta celebration, especially in the holding of four kinds of sports activities.

Mabuhay ka kanayon.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments