GLENN Escandor's timely intervention to provide credible, inexpensive, more rewarding playing venues for children is getting more dividends in return in terms of a livelier Kadayawan festival, making sports more accessible to poor parents and nurturing discipline and sportsmanship to our children.
Royal Mandaya Hotel's lack of material time in organizing the event was sufficiently filled up by the managerial talent of UMBN's Bong Gonzaga and the quick response and effective control of SBP's Boy Cua in the realm of Davao basketball.
When Glenn calls the shots with Regino Cua on his side the sports media is never far behind starring Rico Biliran, Jon Develos, Charles Maxey, Lito delos Reyes and the whole DSA and Scoop Davao forces including Jimmy Javier of Metro Lifestyle and the Sports Communicators, the group which Gonzaga himself managed as president for a long time.
Gonzaga as tournament manager said the awarding ceremony with Ateneo de Davao winning the championship was a memorable one with the playing child sportsmen side by side with their parents.
All told, the tournament held at a very short notice was even more successful than we expected with the inevitable taking place in the other games sponsored by Milo as two of its most active participants withdrew from the parallel tournament.
One of them, the more vocal Doña Pilar Learning Center did not mind withdrawing from the Milo tournament with already two back-to-back winning performances in its wings.
There have been so much talk we have heard about this alleged exorbitant fees imposed by Milo for children to have training certificates by as much as P2,200 per individual which they said is pre-requisite to joining their tournament.
This is not what we desired for in the private sector-led grassroots sports development burdening children and their parents with so heavy an expense in training fees excluding other expenses parents have to bear like sports apparel.
Coach Ranran Aro is not so much affected with his team's withdrawal in the Milo tournament.
He was even more inspired with the outcome of the newest league in town the RMH Cup. Now the coach of one of the most improved children basketball teams in Davao is planning to recommend to his school administrators a more comprehensive training program of fifteen players in each level from preparatory school to grade six.
Now that is one of the greatest contribution and positive impact of the Glen Escandor quick intervention to save the day for children sports, rich or poor.
We bid Glenn more success especially his current trip as a resident-visa holder to California, USA for his father and the whole family.
Too bad, I was not able to catch-up with one of the tournament's most sensational shows in the championship with 11-year old Francis Escandor doing a Dennis Rodman of doubling his output in the rebounds and unselfishly leaving the shooting to his co-players.
Sportsmen need houses too. That explains my failure to catch up with the excitement at the Davao City Recreation Center as the Federation of Homeowners conducted an orientation meeting with the P-Noy-appointed Deputy Secretary General of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).
One of Davao's most credible political leader even resigned his post as duly-elected councilor in favor of a much greater mission as a trusted adviser of the vice president in helping solve the country's housing deficiency.
National Beat: Kay Binay gaganda ang bahay. - Wendel Avisado