OROQUIETA CITY -- They skipped the ceremonial parade to avoid embarrassment. But on the first day of action of the 2018 Batang Pinoy Meet, the lean but mean athletics team of Cagayan de Oro produced the first gold on the field on Wednesday morning at the Misamis Occidental Provincial Athletic Complex (Mopac) here.
Team CDO’s hero of the day is 15-year-old Jivie Magnetico, a Grade 8 student of Bulua National High School, who scaled the bar in 6.38 distance to outleap closest rival Peterson Laparan of Plaridel, Misamis Occidental (6.26) for the gold in long jump competition. General Santos City’s Fel Brian Britanico took the silver at 6.19 distance.
For a boy who narrowly missed a spot in this year’s Palarong Pambansa in Vigan, it was sweet victory for “El Magnetico” whose team here looked like an `outcast’ from the rest of the competing municipalities, cities and provinces from all over Mindanao even before hostilities in multifarious meet could start.
For one, from over 100 athletes (aged 13 to 15 years old) from the City of Golden Friendship with only P1,200 budget per head, the 12-man athletics team were able to put on a brave face, coming here without the official uniform representing Cagayan de Oro’s LGU.
“Naay uniform atong basketball ug ang uban mao wala na lang namo gipa-apil sa parade ang mga bata kay kalandrakas ang attire basin mabulabog ang Team CDO,” said coach Ellenita Agbalog, adding “P1,200 ang gihatag sa city matag usa diha na tanan kuhaon pamelete pagkaon.”
Magnetico has still two more events left to vie in 110 hurdle and high jump. Aside from him, the team coaches are also pinning hope on Rona Bacus from brgy. Balubal, also an `almost’ Palaro qualifier, to deliver a medal in the track and field events.
Meanwhile, more parents came to this writer and shared their grievances. “Ayaw lang ko panganli pero luoy kaayo among mga bata wala pud oniporme sa table tennis. Akong P5,000 sa second day P1,000 na lang nabilin. Daghan nag-apil dire gagmay nga municipalities kompleto, atong siyudad sa Cagayan de Oro dako kaayo tago-tago sa parade,” he told SunStar Cagayan de Oro.
Another from volleyball, who preferred to be called as simply “Rex”, said something must be done to boost the morale of the young athletes, instead of literally putting them to shame and discouragement.
“Actually, sa volleyball tag-1k ra ang gi-pledged unya didto sa Cagayan pa gyod daw pagbalik ihatag. Kanya-kanya sa lang gyod `mi dire sa gasto,” `Simply Rex’ said.
Coincidentally bumping on Cagayan de Oro sports coordinator Jaymar Rivera at Mopac’s vicinity, he could not answer in details the exact amount or figures given by Mayor Oscar S. Moreno and the city to their Batang Pinoy athletes. “Gi all-in ni mayor (on preparation) basta gamay ra,” sports chief Rivera, always on casual attire with a pair of slippers on and short pants, could only say when prodded for comments by SunStar Cagayan de Oro.