Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Napolcom honors Pinoy judo hero, opens club
IN honor of Peter Calibo’s great exploits in the past, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) inaugurated the Napolcom Region 7 Judo Club last Nov. 11 at the Taoist Temple and Echotech Cebu City.
Calibo is the only Filipino gold medalist in judo in the history of the Asian games. Even if the sport originated in Japan and are mastered by the Japanese, he still knocked out Japanese judoka Akibasan in the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo Japan in 1958.
Rank
Calibo is the highest ranked judoka at present here in the Philippines. He is a 6th dan black belt of the International Judo Federation and an 8th dan black belt in the Philippine Amateur Judo Association (PAJA).
Acting as head of the club is Peter’s nephew Atty. Bernardo Calibo, the Napolcom regional director.
Bernardo, who took over the position as regional director last year, organized the club to promote the gentleman’s sport of judo as a self defense for the police officers of Cebu.
“With the knowledge of judo, even a seven year old can take down a six-footer,” Atty Calibo told Sun.Star Cebu in an interview.
Members
With 20 initial members, the Napolcom judokas are still holding practice in Cebu City Sports Center because their roof deck gym at the Napolcom Region 7 is still under construction and will be ready by the end of the month.
Helping the Napol-com Judo Club as consultants is PAJA-Cebu president Vicente Fernadez, 3rd dan black belt in judo Jaek “Jack” Ik Lee of the Republic of Korea and ex military Hogler Horn of Germany.
“This is the first of its kind because it’s the first time that Napolcom opened up a judo club,” said the lawyer of its unique club which set an example to the other Napolcom regional offices in the country, who too are planning to start their own judo clubs. (EKA)
