Sunday, August 26, 2007 ‘Bigger, better Gov. Cup’ By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE third edition of the Governor Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball Cup for Women promises to be “bigger and better” this year.
“In line with our aim to promote volleyball as a significant sport, we commit to making it bigger and better,” said Cebu Volleyball Association chairperson Glen Soco during the general assembly yesterday at the Cebu Capitol Social Hall.
For the third season, Gov. Garcia said that the challenge that needs to be faced now is on how to keep the unity.
“We know that this started in 2005 when we were rocked by the threat of being shattered as a nation and this event has been my vehicle to protect our unity, something, at that time, politics could not do,” Garcia said.
Both Ceva officials and Garcia has taken so much pride in the event, which has turned out into such a remarkable phenomenon.
“The tournament has become an envy to other provinces and groups. We made the whole nation sit up and take notice for us to be able to come up with a tournament this big, this systematic and this credible. No one else was able to do this,” Garcia said.
46 entries
This year, 46 towns will be taking part in the event, which is slated to open on Sept. 22. Nona Catipay, a Ceva official confirmed that Malabuyoc, a first-time contender, had signed up for the tournament to make it a total of 46 teams.
Another revision for this year will be the formation of the city cluster on top of the six clusters.
“There has been a clamor from municipalities that it will be hard for them to win cluster championships if they will belong to a group with a city team on it,” said Catipay.
The six cities—Mandaue, Danao, Talisay, Carcar, Toledo and Lapu-Lapu—will be playing against each other in the city cluster.
Meanwhile, the organizers yesterday awarded certificates of achievement to five Gov. Cup products who are now playing in some universities in the city.
Santa Fe’s Danalie Baquiro, Mary Luilyn Pacinio and Hanamae Sevilla, who are now playing for Southwestern University and Elizabeth Emnace of Barili and Jeremy Montalvo of Sogod, now playing for University of San Carlos, were named the Garbo sa Guv Cup.
Catmon team’s Athena Sucalit, Catherine Marquez, Methosheema Bate, Rasha Marie Pebida, Christy Sucalit, Leah Taojo and Lovely Marie Murillo were also given plaques for making it to the Palaraong Pambansa.
