PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan -- Virtually taking the bottom with only one gold to show entering Day 3 action, August 28, the 172-strong Cagayan de Oro delegation is not yet written off, in fact, being "a work in progress" in the weeklong 2019 Batang Pinoy National Championships here.
"Naa pay mga ongoing sporting events nga hopeful kita nga maka-deliver sa medal race. Of course, I'm confident that we're still on track sa atong 15-gold target before the multifarious meet will wrap up on August 31," Oro delegation head Jaymar Rivera told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Rivera cited boxing, chess and taekwondo as the big three events considered as the City of Gold's "bread and butter" in its hunt for gilts in any national sports competitions.
"Naa sab ang badminton, table tennis, wushu, athletics ug pipila sa ballgames nga puwede pa maka-gold," added Rivera.
Newly-minted Woman Fide Master Ruelle "Tawing" Canino, who produced Team CdeO's first gold in chess in 12-under girls rapid event, on Wednesday morning bested Olive Therese Balinas of Tacurong City and Kristina Concepcion Belano of Cebu Province in succession to lead the seven-round standard event with a perfect 3 points.
"Like sa rapid, bye gihapon si Tawing sa seventh round so, tulo na lang ka rounds iyang paningkamotan," said her doting mother and assistant chess coach, Gina Canina.
The Oro ladies in basketball defeated Team Pasig and Davao City and are leading at the half in their match with the tough Iloilo team, as of this writing, over at the Palawan National School (PNS) gymnasium.
"Kining Iloilo among nakita nga kusog. Medyo naay chance nga makasulod sa medal circle kon ila `ning mapeldi," said Boning Biongcog, the better half of basketball head coach Catrina June Pong-Biongcog.
A total of 820 gold, 820 silver and 1,395 bronze medals are at stake in 31 various disciplines in this 15-under meet that will grant spots to the national team seeing action in next year's Children of Asia Games in Russia.
Cebu City leads in the medal tally as of Aug. 28 (10 am) with 12 golds, 15 silvers and 16 bronzes. Closely tailing them are Pasig City (11-16-6), Quezon City (11-10-5), Baguio City (11-6-13), Davao City (11-5-12), Laguna Province (10-12-7), Cotabato Province (10-2-1), Taguig City (7-5-6), Zamboanga City (7-4-9) and Manila (7-4-1).
A total of 59 LGUs (Local Government Units) take part in the Batang Pinoy National Championships being graced by Philippine Sports Commission chairman William "Butch" Ramirez, Senator Bong Go and Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones in the company of host Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron and Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez during the opening ceremony, Aug. 25 at Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex.