Friday, April 25, 2008 San Remigio opens Lapyahan with beach volley By Maria Nerissa Quińo UP Mass Comm intern
TO support the growing popularity of volleyball and in celebration of the summer season, the municipality of San Remigio will hold its first Beach Volleyball Open on May 10 and 11 in coordination with the Gov. Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball (GUV) Cup for Women and the Cebu Volleyball Association (Ceva).
This two-day tournament will serve as the kick-off activity for San Remigio’s First “Lapyahan” Festival, which will be celebrated on May 16.
“This will be our way of promoting San Remigio. We have the longest beach front and white sand beaches in the entire province,” Mayor Mariano Martinez said during the press conference yesterday.
Martinez added the place, which has just been kept secret and served as a gateway to Bantayan, is now ready to be known as one of Cebu’s known tourist attractions.
Vice Mayor Nińo Bascon said the volleyball tournament complements their festival since “Lapyahan” refers to the town’s long and wonderful shore lines.
This beach volleyball cup was conceived and organized as the local government units and Ceva joined together to answer the call of Gov. Garcia to promote tourism through sports.
Biggest
“The GUV Cup is the biggest volleyball tournament in the whole country,” said Gov. Garcia, an assessment shared by Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez.
For the governor, the beach volleyball open, which organizers expect to be the second most successful volleyball event next to the GUV Cup, is also expected to boost Cebu’s tourism attraction.
“Volleyball is easy to organize and is widely participated. This cup is something in line for promoting volleyball as a sport development to the youth,” Ceva president Glenn Soco said.
The Beach Volleyball contest will be no ordinary sports activity since the top caliber players, who are products of the previous GUV Cup, are expected to join and heat up the competitions.
Those who are expected to join the event are University of the Visayas’ Jusabelle Brillo and Janez Armie Ygot, Southwestern University’s Florian Guttierez and Janelle Tabio, University of Southern Philippines Foundation’s Erika Verano and Harlene Ybarita, Volleygals’ Marites Natad and Kristine Bohol, M2M’s Mechelle Matugina and Marissa Lagancia, Volleybelles’ Kenneth Garces and Lorie Mae Layno, University of San Carlos’s Jeremy Montalvo and Juvy Glipo, and Atenians’ Michelle Gemarino and Desiree Valiar.
There are still two slots open for the cup, which offers participants free hotel accommodation near the beaches in San Remigio.
The above mentioned UV and SWU teams are now in Boracay Island, Aklan for the Nestea Beach Volleyball Competition. As to the upcoming San Remegio beach volleyball cup, “This is our chance to see the top players of the country,” CEVA Media Consultant Nimrod Quińones expressed. He added that the activity is a way to raise the standards of the game by imparting the new rules and equipments involved in the sport which are not yet taught in the academe.
San Remegio’s 1st Beach Volleyball Cup is open for women players only. However, the organizers hope to eventually expand the tournament for the coming years.
Everyone is invited and free to go. Interested parties may contact any of the CEVA officials or call the GUV Cup/CEVA Executive Director’s office at 254-1882.
