Thursday, November 13, 2008 Perez to grace opening rites By Marianne Saberon-Abalayan
DAVAO City's very own two-time Olympian Sheila Mae Perez will be on hand to grace the opening ceremonies of the First Mindanao Children's Games at the University of Mindanao (UM) Matina Gym Friday.
Perez, the Laguna-based RP national diving team member and a veteran of the Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008 Olympics, has been invited by organizers to deliver the inspirational talk to Mindanao children athletes aged 12 years old and below seeing action in the eight-event sportsfest.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William "Butch" Ramirez said Perez, as Mindanaoan, has humble beginnings as a child athlete and has now become a sports icon not just in the Philippines but in the entire Southeast Asia.
"Her humble beginnings, success in sports, personality and character make up an all-in-one package not just as an athlete of Mindanao but as a Filipino we can all be proud of," Ramirez said in text message.
Perez, the 2005 Philippines Southeast Asian (SEA) Games most be-medaled athlete with three gold medals to her name, started her diving career at the age of nine when she and her friends in Sasa and Panacan used to frequent Philippine Navy Camp Panacan. She was then discovered and brought to Manila to be part of the national diving training pool.
Perez said she is excited to go home to Davao again and see the children participants of the MCG.
"I'm excited that I'll be able to talk to MCG participants because it's my first time to do so. I've guested in different schools already after I won three golds in the SEA Games, but this is more important for me because I'll be speaking at my birthplace)," Perez said.
The lady diver said she's really honored to be invited as a speaker.
"It's a great opportunity to inspire the children to get into sports. That's why this is a very special speaking engagement for me," she said.
But Perez was quick to add that she will be using Filipino and Davao City vernacular to address some 1,200 participants.
Having been away from her hometown for a long time, she admitted that she no longer speak the dialect as fluent as she used to before staying in Manila and Laguna as a national athlete.
Ramirez is the keynote guest speaker while PSC Commissioner Guilian Akiko Thomson will give the welcome remarks.
Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC) president Romeo Saniel, OMI will lead the invocation while NDMC will spearhead the lighting of torch.
Newly instated PSC Commissioner Vicente Uy, SVD, meanwhile, will declare the opening of games.
