DAVAO City-based Philippine Ballroom Amateur League (Fiba-AL) emerged overall champion after bagging nine gold medals, four silvers and two bronze medals in the recently-concluded 6th Sagadance Open Championship 2018 held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The pair of Jeannette Ortiz and Rodel Handug was just a gold medal short for a perfect seven.
Ortiz and Handug topped the seniors 45 ch/ru/ji, seniors 45 rumba, combined-age 100 ch/ru/ji, combined-age 100 cha-cha-cha and combined-age 100 rumba.
The Dabawenyo tandem ended up with a silver in seniors 45 ch/ru/.
In Thursday's Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum held at The Annex of SM City Davao, the 60-year-old Ortiz shared that they barely had one month training.
"It’s not because we are good but it’s our passion to do good," Ortiz, who returned to action after a 13-year hiatus, said.
She added that representing Philippines abroad was truly a great honor.
So Kim Cheng dancesports outstanding athletes Randy Cortez and Milagros Sasin, meanwhile, bagged the golds in senior over 35 ch/ru/ji, senior over 35 ch/ru and senior over 35 ru.
They also got silvers in combined age 90 ch/ru/ji and combined age 90 ch/ru.
Jonas Sale and Mila Calzada, for their part, copped a silver in the combined age 90 waltz-tango and two bronze medals which came from combined age 90 chachacha and combined age 100 rumba.
They were coached by Fiba-Al president Denis Bunayog, a licensed international adjudicator of the World Dance Council LTD.