REGION'S PRIDE
7 athletes from Davao City, DavOr compete in Singapore
SEVEN athletes from Davao Region are seeing action in the 9th Asean School Games, which opened at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, as part of the 223-member Philippines delegation.
Palarong Pambansa 2017 secondary boys badminton gold medalist Arthur Samuel G. Salvado, Jr. of Ateneo de Davao University formed part of the badminton team also composed of players from the National Capital Region, Central Visayas and Calabarzon.
Dabawenyos Fritz Rodriguez, Aljay Alloso, Vince Petdeo Cuajao, Gypsy May Cañuto and Danna Mariella Abad will also play for flag and country in their respective events.
Rodriguez is entered in swimming along with Davao Oriental swimming sensation Christian Paul Anor.
Manila-based Zoe Marie Hilario, a former Ateneo de Davao University tanker, will also show her wares in the country's girls swimming team.
Alloso and Vince Cuajao, both key players of the Holy Child College of Davao (HCCD) Reds, steered Davao Region's Palarong Pambansa 2017 3-on-3 gold medal finish in Antique Province.
Coach Nestor "Tating" Sorrosa, in an interview at the Sun.Star Davao office, said Alloso and Cuajao will be missed as the Reds will compete in the 3rd Fil-Oil Flying V Junior Invitational Basketball Tournament that opened yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Colleges (RMC) Gym.
"Dako jud sila nga kawalan sa team pero mas dakong garbo man nga atong nasud ilang girepresenta sa Asean School Games. Makaapas paman gihapon sila siguro sa among ikatulong dula sa Flying V (Alloso and Cuajao's absence will affect our team's performance but they will be playing for the pride of our country in the Asean School Games. They could still catch up maybe in our third game)," Sorrosa said, adding that he is confident that his two wards will give their best to best represent the Philippines.
Cañuto, for her part, is a student of Assumption College of Davao and will join the rest of the national squad in girls basketball.
Abad, meanwhile, is the lone Dabawenya netter in the Singapore meet. She also helped Davao Region win the secondary girls tennis team gold in the Antique Palaro.