Clark is SEA Games main hub
Sisters Liaa Margarette and Lorah Micah Amoguis of Davao City dominated the start of the Batang Pinoy qualifying leg swimming competition at the Aquatic Center of the Davao del Norte Sports Complex in Tagum City here on Wednesday.
Liaa, who will be turning 12 on March 20, bagged two gold medals while her elder sister Lorah won one gold and a silver medal. Liaa posted a time record of 2: 39.00 to top the girls’ 12- and- under 200- meter long course individual medley. Saira Janelle Pabellon of North Cotabato finished second with 2: 42.07 and Calythea Lumag of Butuan third with 2: 55.60.
She also won the girls’ 12- and- under 100- meter butterfly event after besting Pabellon, again, with a time of 1: 11.02. Pabellon finished with 1: 14.30 followed by Mary Maika Montecillo of Dipolog City with 1: 18.47.
“I’m kind of scared of her (Pabellon) but I’m really happy that I beat her,” said Liaa, who won six gold and a silver in the last Davao Regional Athletic Association meet. “I have been swimming for six years. My dream is to beat the Palaro record.”
Lora Micah, for her part, notched 2:35.06 to rule the girls’ 13-15 long course individual medley.
She bested Jie Angela Mikael Talosig of North Cotabato ( 2: 36.58) and Juliana Marie Villanueva of Davao ( 2: 38.73). FOR the first time in the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games, competitions’ main hub will not be in Metro Manila but in the former United States military camp Clark Air Base in Tarlac, which has been transformed into a New City.
The New Clark City, along with the old Clark Global City, has, in fact, cornered 40 percent of the 523 events in 56 sports scheduled to be contested in the two- week conclave from November 30 to December 11 this year.
Must sports athletics and aquatics ( swimming, diving, water polo) are bunched together in the newly built arenas in New Clark City — the still being constructed 20,000- seat seat sports complex in Capas, Tarlac, complete with the 2,000- seat natatorium.
The Clark cluster will be the venues for 21 sports in all, thus, relegating Metro Manila to secondary hub with 19 sports ( 30 percent) to be contested in the area. The Subic and BLT ( Batangas, La Union, Tagaytay) clusters will host 14 and four sports, respectively.
As a consolation, the Big City has been awarded three sports closest to the Filipinos’ heart and, therefore, most popular — basketball, boxing and cue sports. The Philippines, thus far, is the only Asian country to
Lorah Micah bagged a silver medal with 33.97 seconds losing to Gene Heart Quiambao with 33.69 seconds in the girls’ 13-15 50-meter backstroke.
“We support each other in competition and in training,” said Lorah, 13, whose father Lowel and mother Cynthia are both physicians. “We motivate each other to perform better every time we compete.”
Lora Micah is Grade 7 and Liaa Grade 6 at the Abbas
Pinoy National Finals in October that will be held either in Tagbiliran City, Bohol or Ormoc City, Leyte.
Other gold medalists tankers from Davao were Pietro Dominic Requiza (boys’ 12-and-under 50 LC meter backstroke), Alissa Ysabelle Lazarraga (girls’ 13-15
15-and-under 800 LC meter freestyle).
Davao City, North Cotabato and Davao del Norte
swimming competition.
In other events, 15-year-old archer John Carlo Lo-
winning the cadet boys 30-meter, 40m, 50m, 60m and single FITA events.
Precious Micah Basadre dominated the cadet girls 30m, 40m, 50m and single FITA. Her younger brother Jeremiah Adrian won the cub boys 20m, 30m, 50m and single FITA gold events.
Cagayan De Oro City dominated cadet boys taekwondo with three gold medals courtesy of Lee Young Hwan (welterweight), Carlos Pizana (heavyweight) and
- drew Cagas (lightweight) captured two gold medals for Butuan City, while Davao City received two gold medals courtesy of John Louis Zaballero (bantamweight) and Arnold Alesna (featherweight). have finished third in he world men’s basketball championship and fifth in the Olympic Games.
Boxing has produced for the country a pair of Hall of Famers in the person of Pancho Villa and Flash Elorde and a future first ballot HoF candidate in eight division champion Manny Pacquiao, while billiards such world- beaters Efren “Bata” Reye and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, to mention a few.
Bowling which gifted the country three World Cup champions — Paeng Nepomuceno, Bong Coo and Lita dela Rosa — and an Olympic gold medal winner in Ariane Cerdeña will also be played in Manila.
Other events to be played in Metro Manila are rowing, squash, netball, taekwondo, floorball, indoor hockey, kick boxing, men’s football, soft tennis, tennis, ice hockey, ice skatingfigure skating, gymnastics ( artistic, rhythmic and aerobic) badminton, wushu, fencing and new event E- Sports.
Indoor volleyball will be contested a the Smart Araneta/ Alonte Sport Complex in Binan in Laguna, new port polo at the Miguel Romero Sports Club in Calatagan in Batangas, cycling ( BMX, road race, MTB) and skateboarding in Tagaytay City, under water hockey at Vermosa Sports Complex in Bacoor in Cavite, women’s fooball at Biñan Sports Complex/ University of Makati and surfing in San Juan, La Union.
Tom Carrasco, Triathlon Association of the Philippines and executive director of the Philippines SEA Games Organizing Committee ( PHISGOC) announced that the Games’ governing body has been operational in full throttle since January this year with a working force of 250 personnel that may ye increase as needs arise.
“Except for some minor wheeling and dealing, the number of sports and events have been completed,” Carrasco said. “There may still be some changes in venues, but those are minor, too.”
“New venues are still being built and those being refurbished are in near completion,” he assured. “All refurbishing jobs, by the way, are being done by the Department pf Public Works.”
The four or five venues being renovated in Subic are all done. I still can’t say that there’s nothing to worry about in our preparations. What we’re assure of is that we’re doing everything under the present circumstances to make our hosting a success and make the some 11,000 to 12,000 athletes, coaches, trainers and officials happy in their stay in the country,” Carrasco vowed.
Including delegation officials and other expected guests, Carrasco said, no less than 17,000 visitors will gather in the country to celebrate the 30th edition of the biennial conclave.