Wednesday, April 02, 2008 Team CDO looks the poorest in 2008 NMRAA Parade By Lynde Salgados
CAGAYAN de Oro team virtually turned into a laughing stock in Tuesday's opening parade of the 2008 Northern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association (NMRAA) Meet in Cagayan de Oro City.
And whether City Mayor Constantino Jaraula's conspicuous absent in the opening rites of the Palarong Pampook at Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center has something to do with it is a thing that quite puzzled everyone.
"I don't know. Maybe he's out of town but he was cordially invited," said Carmencita Lague of the Bureau of Physical Education for School Sports (BPESS) office in Northern Mindanao.
Officials from Team CDO can practically heave a sigh of relief that the noon-time parade was not painstakingly long as it only stretched from the Provincial Capitol ground up to the main venue (Pelaez Sports Center) of the four-day meet, serving as the region's final qualifying phase for this year's Palarong Pambansa.
"Kay sakit kaayo sa mata ug dalunggan nga ato ra'ng delegasyon ang ga-tsismisan sa manan-away nga pobre kaayo ang oniporme (Coz it's painful to the eyes and ears that spectators are making fun out of the home squad)," said one ballgame coach from the Cagayan de Oro Athletic Association (Coaa) team, who was a bit reluctant to join the traditional parade, "kay pi-ot kaayo ang t-shirt nga gi-issue sa amo nga mga dagko (the t-shirt uniforms we (big guys) have do not fit our size)."
Among the 12 delegations, Coaa even paled in comparison to Tangub, Lanao Norte and Camiguin -- the only other three teams that paraded their respective athletes along the under-repair and partially closed Velez Street -- with no jacket uniforms.
"But, at least, their coaches and officials have jackets and their athletes are uniformly wearing a new pair of white Robertson shoes," observed a buko juice vendor.
Probably the smallest delegation in tow, Camiguin athletes said they're already satisfied as they were also issued with socks, shorts and three-fourth sleeveless apart from jogging pants, shirt, cap and "All-Star" Converse shoes.
So blessed are the Iligan juggernauts with complete sporting attire from head-to-foot that one of their coaches can't hardly hold his feeling taunting "kadako'g income nga siyudad wala ka jacket (it's a big-income generating city and it's terrible it can't provide with jackets)" upon learning the sad plight of Misor's co-host delegation.
Not to be outdone is Gingoog, a component city of Misamis Oriental, which prided of providing jacket, pack bag and blue Converse shoes to its small number of athletes.
"We're not a big city but we're very thankful to Mayor Ruthie Guingona for her full support. We (coaches and officials) have P100 allowance per day slightly more than the P80 share our athletes will be receiving. But more than that, they have energy drink supplement in the form of Gatorade during the competition not to mention efficascent oil and other survival medicines in case of emergency," said Gingoog Pess supervisor, Pablito Altubar.
If Gingoog has Gatorade, it's would be Enervon everyday and "lechon baboy" for every other day for the wards of Bukidnon-based Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri.
Replacing the usual jackets for Bukidnon team are the much comfortable sweatshirts to go along with the native pack bags and white Robertson shoes.
Unlike their counterparts from Cagayan de Oro, each one of them is brandishing a cold bottle of mineral water to avoid dehydration and to ease glum throat wrought by a long exposure to mid-day sunrays.
"We're taking Enervon everyday for the whole duration of the Regional Meet. And lechon baboy is part of our food supplies," echoed the mighty Bukidnon athletes who surprisingly took the overall supremacy in the last NMRAA Meet in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
Also well-equipped are Ozamiz (with jacket and black Viper shoes similar to Robertson), Valencia (in Bukidnon), Oroquieta, Misamis Occidental and official host Misamis Oriental with expensive-looking jacket uniforms.
If not of their yellow shirts (in retrospect to the meaningful Edsa Revolution), horse-riding props and back-up drum and bugle corp, Team CDO would look even the poorest.
"But it's still awkward since we had only an overnight practice to do it. Politika ra kaayo ang Cagayan de Oro," said City Central's Gogong Gabule who tried his best to enhance the "Saludo March" of COAA team.
And there are more stories to tell.
"Our basketball athletes alone have no proper uniforms issued to them for the competition starting Wednesday morning at the Palaro Center. They'll be wearing instead their school basketball jerseys," said Lawrence Pastrano of Coaa basketball's coaching staff.
"But it's not only winning that counts but our participation, tinabangay, teamwork and unity that would bring us success," later said Governor Oscar S. Moreno in his welcome remarks before more or less 4,000 athletes gathering at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center.
Also gracing the NMRAA opening rites are Governor JJ Romualdo of Camiguin, Mayor Aldong Parojinog of Ozamiz City, Mayor Ruth Guingona of Gingoog City, and Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya for the National Department of Education's (DepEd) Special Project and Legislative Liason.
In his speech, the youthful Malaya inspired the athletes by saying that the Palaro is the flagship of the DepEd's program in sports and that "sports teaches people how to deal with life."
