Monday, January 28, 2008 Padilla: Cordillerans Dumanpong-Ancheta, Kitan shine in Para-Olympics By Nars Padilla Sportscope
TEAM Philippines posted its best ever finish when it scored fifth place in the overall championship leaderboard of the just concluded 4th Association of Southeast Asian (Asean) Para Games held in Nakhon, Ratchasima, Thailand from January 20 to 26.
Two years ago, our differently-abled athletes settled for the sixth place among 11 member nations in the sports conclave.
In the recent RP contingent were 88 para-athletes culled from different parts of the archipelago.
They were spread out and competed in at least 12 sports disciplines. We had at least six in the national team recruited from the Cordillera Region.
Proudly, power-lifter Adeline Dumanpong-Ancheta form Ifugao won the gold medal in the 82.5 kilograms to reaffirm her status as the best in her class.
It was a record-breaking show of strength for Adeline who lifted 112.5 kilograms and 115 kilograms.
It was the fourth time in the series of Para Games that Adeline ruled the event.
On the other hand, Cordilleran Agustin Kitan pocketed the bronze medal in the men's 56 kilograms class.
The power-lifter from Baguio lifted 137.5 kilograms to put him in the medal row.
The other Baguio Cordi para-athletes are powerlifter Agustina Bantiloc, Abraham Sakiwat in archery and finally William Gonsodine and Clover Lai in basketball.
At this time, let us join hand, hearts and mind to congratulate our Cordi performers in particular and the members of the Philippine Team in general for their prowess and distinguished achievement.
Let us raise our glass of tapoey to thank Kabunyan for the rare honor and privilege.
To be the fifth best country from 11 nation-participants is certainly an accomplishment to crow about.
Will the medallists also get cash incentive awards from the government or elsewhere? This is a 64-dollar question that needs to be answered.
In the final count host Thailand was a mile away from the second placer with 235 gold medals, 103 silver and 80 bronze medals.
They simply duplicated the runaway victory fashion of their athletes in the recent 24th Southeast Asian Games where the Thais might and power just upstaged all comers.
Malaysia had 75-63-46; Vietnam scored 71-63-41 while Indonesia settled with 29-23-18 for the fourth slot.
Our dear Philippines pooled in 17 gold medals, 21 silver and 19 bronze medals. The other nations namely, Myanmar, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia and Timor Leste ended the weeklong tournament of friendship, muscle and skills in the listed order.
The triumph of host Thailand in the last two international sportsfest is truly a vivid demonstration of interest, work efforts and the unblemished support and concern from the Thai government and its people.
Picture the A-1 development of sports in the Land of Smiles.
Our sports leaders in the echelon should learn from the Thais! What makes them tick?
A simple suggestion from this corner is "There should be or better still must be less politics and more action among our so-called sports czars." Otherwise, Philippine sports will be doomed to oblivion!
It's amazing! Quite unbelievable but it's true. World lawn tennis No. one Roger Federer lost steam in the Australian Open last Friday.
He was outplayed and out-maneuvered by No. three Novak Djokovic, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5), the new lawn tennis sensation.
Federer's streak of 10 straight grand slam finals came to a very abrupt end in the hands of Djokovic who will take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the finals.
Tsonga beat No. two Rafael Nadal in the semifinals last Thursday to set the championship encounter. If you ask me, I will be rooting for Djokovic!
Sunday, was a big day for the National Service Training Program (NSTP) in the city.
A working force of about 100 students from my alma mater, the University of Baguio, led the maestro-coordinator Raymund Agbawa and some 30 students from the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) along Magsaysay Avenue headed by its administrator Vladimir Cayabas launched the Baguio Centennial Commission (CenteComm) NSTP Volunteer Core two year sked to help make Baguio Clean, Green, Peaceful and Beautiful!
Yours truly was there with the volunteers at the launching program held at the Malcolm Square.
To cut the long story short and sweet cleaning activities were focused on several city parks and other attractions.
The NIITers cleaned the CenteComm Countdown 1000marker and its surroundings, the water trough at Abanao Street and the Igorot Park plus Harrison Road.
The UB team took care of the historic Malcolm Square including the monument of Justice Malcolm, the WWII ruins area along busy Session road where a chain of Muslim cell phone and accessories are being sold and the building where the old Star Café restaurant operated for many long years.
It was a go, go activity from 9 am to about noontime. We invite you to see the big difference! Of course, there are more things to be done.
Come Saturday, we will have more NSTP CenteComm volunteers on the block.
Close to 100 bags and sacks of debris of dirt and what have you were removed from the cleaned areas.
We are doing our share in "fostering a culture of caring." Please stand up and be counted.
