Aparri claims gold in SEAG boxing

BAGUIO and the rest of the Cordilleras beamed with pride anew after a lady boxer snatched a gold medal, while the wushu contingent added several medals to add up in the Philippines campaign in the ongoing Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Lady boxer Alice Kate Aparri capped her campaign in women’s boxing after claiming the gold against Myanmar’s Thet Htar San after stopping Selly Wanimbio of Indonesia in the semis and Mieovady Hangfa of Laos in the prelims.

Aparri, one of the Baguio-based fighters who are seeing action in the 26th edition of the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia won it in the light flyweight division.

Meanwhile, Baguio wushu players snatched a silver medal in the taulo event during Sunday’s finals.

Daniel Parantac, who topped the first day of competition in the Taijiquan + Taijijian with a 9.71 points falter in the second day with a 9.51 to score a silver in the biennial meet.

Also, scoring silver in the Duilian event is the trio of World gold medalist John Keithley Chan, Engelbert Addon and Eleazar Jacob with a 9.72 to settle for the silver.

The female trio of Natasha Enriquez, Kathy Lynne, and Kariza Chan was good for a bronze medal after scoring 9.68 in the female side of duilian event.

Sanshou fighter Mariane Mariano, together with Benjie Rivera, Mark Eddiva and Eduard Folayang, will be eyeing a gold medal in their respective weight classes after disposing of separate rivals.

Mariano edged Kesinee Tabtrai (Thailand) then Su Hlaing Oo of Mynamar to arrange a gold match against Tan Thi Ly of Vietnam in the 56 kilogram (kg) weight class.

The lone fatality for the Baguio based sanshou squad is Rhea May Rifani who fell out of contention in the 48 kgs event after bowing to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Bich.

Benjie Rivera, meanwhile, will seek the gold in the 56 kgs division after disposing Boupha Valasith of Laos and Yusar Kristiawan of Indonesia as he goes up against Pan Van Hau of Vietnam.

Asian games silver medalist Mark Eddiva guns for another gold medal performance in the 65 kgs division when he battles Youne Victorio Sen of Indonesia after defeating Choy Thla of Cambodia and Tin Lin Aung of Myanmar in the preliminaries.

Eduard Folayang, one of the country’s be-medaled sanshou campaigners, seeks another stellar performance as he battle Udon Khanxay of Laos after beating Agus Suprayitno of Indonesia in the 70 kgs weight class.

Street kids test veterans in football

STREET kids being taught how to play football will test their mettle against a tough Baguio Stallions squad in an exhibition game that will kick off the first Vergara-Domogan Street Kids Football Cup on November 27.

With 17 street kids currently enrolled in the program, the tournament aims to gather more street kids in taking up football and at the same time provide them a permanent shelter and a sustainable livelihood program supported by Goshen Land.

And after almost two months of basic football, the street kids’ squad, under coach Aries Bocalan of the Baguio United Football Club, will finally put their skills to test against a seasoned Stallions which recently won the gold medal in the Asian Special Olympic Qualifier.

“These kids have potential kasi during our first week. Makikita mo yung kanilang enthusiasm at the same yung iba sa kanila, eh, may basic knowledge tapos yung iba mabibilis din kaya magandang sign ito para sa team,” said Bocalan during a media briefing.

Although the Stallions are favored to win against their counterpart in the friendly game, members of the street kids football squad are also bent on showing their potential as upcoming football players.

“Mahirap din po yung aming training at kahit siguro baguhan kami eh susubukan din naming manalo,” said 13-year-old Daryl.

“Kung sa talent po siguro kaya naming sumabay pero di rin po kami magpapatalo,” added 16-year-old Edmund.

Seven divisions are set to compete for top honors with trophies for champion, first runner-up, second runner-up and third runner-up will be up for grabs.

Playing dates for the age group competition will be on December 3 for the 8, 10, and 12 under at the Teachers Camp, while the 14 under and the ladies open will be on December 10 at the Baguio Athletic Bowl.

The 16 under boys and girls division will also be played at the Athletic Bowl on December 17, while the men’s open will be played at the Melvin Jones on December 18.

Individual awards (Best Goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, striker, fair play and MVP) will also be given out in the tournament.

Registration for the men’s open will be at P500, while the ladies open will have it at P300, while the different age group competitions starting from the 8 under up to 16 under for boys and girls will be at P200.

Interested teams and sponsorship inquiries may send e-mail request to baguiounited @gmail.com and nestor_udan @yahoo.com. (Roderick Osis)

SLU draws first blood in Miners Cup 3 opening

SAINT Louis University (SLU) used a solid second quarter to draw first blood in the girls division by edging Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Montessori for the Miners Cup 3 at the BCNHS auditorium, 54-30.

Drawing big numbers from Anne Co who fired a game high of 16 points, 10 in the opening canto, the SLU- Center pounded the Carmelians with their inside plays and nifty transition defense to open their campaign in the five team division.

Scoring at will, Co and playmaker Cristy Ramilo adding 10 points for their cause, took advantage of Mt. Carmel’s deficient ball handling skills to take a precarious four point lead at the close of the opening canto 15-9.

With Co sitting almost in the entirety of the second quarter, SLU continued the onslaught with Ramilo leading the charge, which saw them enjoy a 32-17 edge at the end of two quarters.

And midway in the third period, SLU took command of the ball game by coming up with a 10-0 run for a 42 -17 edge with less than four minutes left.

Sharlene Almazan added eight points for SLU, while Jasle Nool and Denielle Labita put up a good fight for the Carmelians with 11 and 10 points each.

The tournament will have a single round robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-final round and with the top two teams enjoying a twice to beat advantage.

The girls division, the boys 16 and 14 under will also see action in the more-than-a-month tournament.

Meanwhile, organizers of this year’s Miners Cup has pledged some P30,000 in financial assistance for deserving student players seeing action in the ongoing basketball tournament.

At least six players will be receiving P5,000 each to support their education for at least a year according to event organizer Engr. Zards Gacad of the event backed by Club 7882 SLU Boys High, Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association, Philex Mining Corporation and Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company.

Last year, a P20,000 cash assistance was also given to four players at the close of the tournament while as of this writing, the 16 under division opening match between SLU and Magsaysay National High School is ongoing. (Roderick Osis)

Team Lakay inks pact with One FC

By Roderick Osis

AN EIGHT-fight contract spanning three years looms for the some of the best fighters based in the Summer Capital, and five of the country’s best mix martial artists of the country will soon be part of Asia’s fastest growing mix martial arts promotion.

Larry Fabian Photo 

“We recently signed the partnership with One Fighting Championship as we bring our best fighters all over Asia,” said Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao.

Eduard Folayang, who earlier headlined the first One FC event, will be joined by fellow champions Kevin Belingon, Rey Docyogen, Honorio Banario and Geje Eustaquio.

Except for Eustaquio, Folayang, Belingon, Docyogen and Banario are champions in their respective weight class in the Universal Reality Combat Championship.

“These fighters are probably some of the best in the Asian region and we hope to bring in more Team Lakay fighters in the near future,” said One Fighting Championship chief executive officer Victor Cui in a recent visit to the Phillipines.

Cui added the partnership with Team Lakay will be one of their priorities within this year, as they eye more fights outside Singapore, which include Malaysia, Macau, and even in Manila.

The ONE FC top honcho added that the partnership is eyed to develop a career for mix martial arts fighter in the country in a long span of time.

One Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts (MMA) event. One FC features the best Asian fighters and the largest pan-Asian media broadcast.

Adivay run fires off November 20

WITH all roads leading to the Wangal Sports Complex for the mass start and finish, it’s all systems go for the November 20 Adivay run-for-a-cause firing off at 5:00 in the morning.

Close to 200 runners from all walks of life are expected to answer the starting gun in the event which aims to further promote the sport of running while at the same time advocating a healthy lifestyle to all.

Organizers have decided to change the venue of the start and finish line originally from the Benguet Provincial Capitol grounds to the Wangal Sports Complex to give participants the chance to check out the trade fair stalls of the various municipalities near the area.

The complex is currently home to the province’s 13 municipalities showcasing their best as part of Benguet’s month long founding anniversary celebration.

Proceeds of this event will go directly to the indigent patients of the Benguet Renal Center and the Province Scholarship Program for the less privileged but deserving students of Benguet's 13 municipalities.

The race is divided into four categories with three kilometers (3K) set for 12 years old and below and another for 13 years old and above.

Adults are joining either the 5K or 10K as registration formally ended November 15.

Registration came with a race kit to including commemorative shirt and race bib while cash prizes and medals await the top finishers per category.

Medals will also be awarded to top five male and female finishers of the 5K distance and for the top 10 finishers of the 10K run. (Roderick Osis)

Cordi wrestler bags gold in SEA Games

IFUGAO pride Jason Balabal came up with a sterling performance Tuesday evening to win the country’s second gold in wrestling in the ongoing 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia.

Balabal scored the second gold in the Greco–Roman wrestling competition after Margarito Angana scored the first gold in the competition, which opened Monday adding to the country’s pile up of 15 gold medals after three days of competition.

The 25-year-old Ifugao native emerged unscathed from all his three matches Tuesday to top the 84-kg Greco-Roman event and will now set his sights on the freestyle gold when he competes anew in his regular event in the competitions’ final day Thursday.

Meanwhile, a runner from the University of Baguio scored her first medal in the biennial competition in athletics.

Seeing action in his first SEA games, Katherine Santos scored her first medal by bagging the bronze medal in the long jump event.

Santos was a perennial gold medalist for University of Baguio in Prisaa meets and was recruited for the national team after the Philippine National Games.

The 21-year-old Santos quickly made an impact in her first SEA Games stint by capturing the bronze medal with a leap of 6.25 meters.

Lady boxer Alice Kate Appari, meanwhile, is seeing action as of this writing in the quarterfinals of the light flyweight division as she squares off against Laosian Mieovady Hangfa in Palembang.

Wushu, the country’s gold mine in the past SEA Games, opens its campaign Friday as competition in taolo begins including the preliminaries in sanshou, the combative side of wushu.

Veterans and Baguio-based wushu campaigners John Keithley Chan, Mark Eddiva, Benjie Rivera, Edward Folayang, brothers Daniel and Denver Parantac, and Thornton Quieney Lou Sayan will banner the 18-man field in the biennial competitions.

Joining the group are Jessie Aligaga, Mary Jane Estimar, Engelbert Andongan, Denbert Arcita, and Eleazar Jacob.

Completing the team are female wushu artists Rhea May Rifani, Marianne Mariano, Kariza Chan, Kathlynn Sabalburo, and Natasha Laxamana. The five female wushu players are also based in the city.

More teams see action in BMV-MGD football

SEVENTY-six teams and counting.

With barely two weeks before it opens, more teams are expected to join the first Vergara-Domogan Street Kids Football Club aimed to help provide decent homes for Baguio’s under privileged.

Following the success of recent tournaments in the Summer Capital, teams from as far as Tarlac, Pangasinan, and La Union are set to see action in the monthlong tournament organized by Goshen Land and Baguio United Football Club.

“More than the football tournament, we want to seek sponsorship and raise the seed money for our proposed street kids shelter that will also include an educational fund and livelihood programs,” said Goshen Land chief executive officer Alex Bangsoy.

Opening on November 27, the tournament is also in cooperation with the City Government of Baguio, together with Mayor Mauricio Domogan and Representative Bernie Vergara. It will be held during all weekends from November 27 to December 18 at the Melvin Jones and Athletic Bowl.

Two playing dates are also scheduled at the Teachers Camp Football field.

Bangsoy added Goshen Land has already committed to donate a piece of land to build the home for street kids who will be faithful to their football training and subject to the rules and regulations of the program.

“The goal of the tournament is long a shot and hopefully sustainable as we open sponsorship which starts at P2 so even privileged kids can help in this activity,” added Bangsoy.

Seven divisions are set to compete for top honors with trophies for champion, first runner-up, second runner-up and third runner-up will be up for grabs.

Individual awards (Best Goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, striker, fair play and MVP) will also be given out in the tournament.

Registration for the men’s open will be at P500, while the ladies open will have it at P300, while the different age group competitions starting from the 8 under up to 16 under for boys and girls will be at P200.

Interested teams and sponsorship inquiries may send e-mail request to baguiounited @gmail.com and nestor_udan @yahoo.com. (Roderick Osis)