SOME call them “old but gold” but in Borongan City, they are called the founding members of the Surfriders Club of Eastern Samar (SCES).
“I always visualized Borongan City as a surfing spot and having a national surfing competition. Since we really enjoyed the waves back in our days,” said Carlos Aga Jr, 46, one of the pioneer surfers of Borongan.
He recalled the first national surfing competition in Borongan was the Eastern Samar Inaugural Surfing Crown (ESISC) in 2000.
However, in this year’s Surf in the City, Aga became the oldest surf competitor in the Master Division, which is open to any surfer aged 40 and above.
Aga’s surfing journey started in 1999 in Baybay Boulevard.
Together with his friends Abdel Elecho, Bryan Lassiter, Rodel Aboy, among others, Aga used to borrow surfboards to learn the sport.
Recreational surfing bonded the group together, a bond that has lasted for more than 20 years.
As the 203 surfers from around the country continue to compete on the fourth day of the Surf in the City 2021, Aga and other original surfers of Borongan patiently wait to clinch the championship in the Master’s Division of the surfing event.
Compared to when Aga and his friends started surfing, the game has become more competitive.
“The younger surfers now compared to us before are very aggressive in terms of surfing skills,” said Aga, who is now the father of two boys – Jian, 8, and Maxim, 12.
Just like their father, they are also into surfing.
At his age, Aga is still hungry to bring home the gold in the Master’s Division.
“Despite the competitive atmosphere during the game, the basic principles of the sport have not changed,” he added.
During the pandemic, Aga continued to train.
He tried to surf daily for 3 to 4 hours. In a way, Surf in the City 2021 is the culmination not only of his training during the pandemic but of his experience as a founding member of SCES.
“This was a dream for us before. At the same time, we are very proud to present Borongan as a surfing hotspot,” Aga said.
Surf in the City 2019 was the first time that Borongan hosted a national surfing competition since the 2000 ESISC.
It was the vision and drive of then SCES President Rupert Ambil and its founding members, and the full support of the City Government of Borongan that made the event possible.
SCES was founded in 1998 by a group of locals who saw the potential of the city’s iconic Baybay Boulevard.
“The founding members of the SCES have always dreamed of making Borongan City the surfing capital of Eastern Visayas. We are very thankful that we got the full support of the City Government of Borongan under Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda to organize this event,” Ambil said.
“It also helped that our Vice Mayor Emmanuel Tiu Sonco is himself a surfer. We will work hard to continue the momentum that this event generated,” he added.
Surf in the City 2021 is now the second time the city is hosting a national event, and it’s the first nationwide surfing competition since the pandemic.
The surfing competition serves as the first leg of the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour 2022.
The Master’s Division will be held on the last day of the week-long competition.
Just like how surfers wait for the perfect wave to ride, Aga patiently waits for his competition so he can showcase the talent he’s been honing for decades.
“It’s quite nostalgic that we are able to compete in a national event in our hometown,” Aga said. (SunStar Philippines)