Monday, March 10, 2003
PTA 4th Visayas tilt set
By Robert L. Bacasong
KICKING for slots to the July-slated Samsung Best of the Best in Manila, jins from 11 provinces converge in the Philippine Taekwondo Association’s 4th Visayas Championships tentatively set in Negros Occidental.
Would-be tournament organizer Jim-Jim Chua, head instructor of the Negros Taekwondo Union-Tigers, bared that the NTU-Tigers, together with taekwondo patron Tonet Lacson, is on its drafting phase of the competition to pit taekwondo bets from last year’s champs Iloilo, Negros Oriental, Guimaras, Aklan, Antique, Masbate, Cebu, Leyte, Capiz, Bohol, and the host province.
Chua said Iloilo dethroned the Negrosanon jins, who bagged the first and second stagings held in Talisay City, Negros and Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, respectively.
Last year’s tiff was staged in Iloilo.
This year’s battle will still be in three categories: grade school, high school, and senior’s level. Except for the grade school which will be in the weight and height levels, both high school and senior’s will be in eight weight categories which include bantamweight, flyweight, lightweight, featherweight, finweight, among others.
The champion in the Visayas championships will earn the ticket to compete in the yearly Samsung Best of the Best in Manila, bankrolled by Samsung Corp.
Chua said he and the 25 other NTU blackbelts regularly hone their protegés to be fielded in the tournament.
Iran tourneys
On the other hand, Chua disclosed that the trip for the Iran Open of erstwhile NTU mainstay, and now two-year member of the Philippine Taekwondo Contingent, Jose Emmanuel Enriquez of Bago City has not pushed through due to the impending US attack on Iraq.
He said either Enriquez, or newly qualified PTC member Carlos Padilla V will be fielded in the finweight or flyweight categories.
Padilla, a freshman taking up Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, has recently qualified to the prestigious PTC after a try-out held in the last week of January 2003.
The 20-year-old Padilla did not only earn the slot but he will join as well his former teammate, and RP standout Enriquez.
Padilla will be an alternate of Tshom Lee Go, in the Finweight class.
Enriquez, on the other hand, formerly also of CSA-B, is now a Red Lion of San Beda and is eyed as alternate of bemedalled Roberto Cruz in the Flyweight division.
In the flyweight, national qualifiers were Tshum Lee Go, which will be the alternate of Padilla, David Geisler III, Jeferthom Go, Manuel Rivero Jr., Alberto Morfe, Alexander Briones and Dindo Simpao.
The other men’s alternate players are Willy Ngo, Ernesto Juan Mendoza III, Rodlofo Valenzuela Jr., and Alizandro Lubiano.
In the women’s division, qualifiers were Eva Marie Diton, Jasmin Strachan, Veronica Domingo, Daleen Cordero, Sally Solis, Margarita Bonifacio, Calinde Tamayo, Ann Margarett Boyle, Mary Antonette Rivero. The alternate were Kathleen Eunice Alora, Loreen Catalan, Josephine Strachan, Christine Calulo and Criselda Roxas.
(March 10, 2003 issue)
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