BOWLING legend Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno may have drawn much of the spotlight, but it was hometown heroes Bam Tongo and Crystal Chavez who owned the lanes at the 17th Datba Kadayawan Open Championships, finishing champion and runner-up, respectively, at SM Lanang Bowling Center on Sunday, August 10, 2025.
Tongo, representing the host Davao Tenpin Bowlers Association (Datba), clinched the mixed masters title after outrolling Chavez, 198–154, in the finals. He pocketed ₱60,000 and a trophy, while teammate Chavez settled for runner-up honors, 30,000 and a trophy.
“It started rough but ended great! Madayaw—Happy Kadayawan sa Davao! Proud to be representing Datba. To God be the glory!” Tongo wrote on Facebook after his win.
The road to the finals was no cakewalk. In the eight-game qualifiers, Tongo topped the leaderboard with 1,642 pinfalls, just ahead of Nepomuceno’s 1,622. Manila’s Justin Uy (1,577) placed third, followed by Chavez (1,574) and Datba’s JV Flores (1,543).
Chavez’s campaign was grueling—after eight games, she bowled two more in the step-ladder rounds, defeating Uy and Flores before ousting Nepomuceno, 189–154, to set up the all-Dabawenyo title clash with Tongo.
Chavez said it had long been her dream to go head-to-head with bowling legend Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno. “Before the pandemic, we would usually see each other at open tournaments, but never in a match play,” she recalled. “So when we faced each other in Round 2, I felt even more nervous—but at the same time, inspired—to have him as my opponent. My goal was to play my best and aim for a high score so I could beat him.”
The Dabawenya standout admitted the finals run was exhausting. “After eight games, I still played the ninth and tenth rounds before facing Bam in the finals,” she said. “I’m sad I didn’t get the championship, but I’m happy, grateful, and blessed to be back-to-back first runner-up.”
Chavez also placed second in the mixed classified division on Saturday, falling in a roll-off to Jules Pedrajas of USBC-Sletba.
A bank employee by profession, she was the only female bowler to crack the top five in the mixed open masters division—an elite field she described as “Class A bowlers, high-average players, former national team members, and of course, Coach Paeng Nepomuceno.”
For Nepomuceno, competing in Davao was more than a match—it was a homecoming of sorts. “I support Datba in their open. Davao is a special place. This is my 50th anniversary since winning the Mindanao Open at Astrobowl in 1975 when I was 18. I’m happy to be back,” the four-time Guinness World Records holder said. MLSA