I remember the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. That was just 24 months ago. The venue? Our very own, the Philippines. I remember RP’s No.1 song then, “Pinoy Ako.” We sang the Orange and Lemons tune, nodded our heads, swayed our hips, waved, danced, and pointed our right index finger to the sky signaling that, yes, we’re number “1.”
“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we shall…. diet!”
Haven’t you noticed? Santa Claus singing this tune every single Christmas for hundreds of centuries now to no avail? And for good reason…
Think of that mouth-watering La Marea warm-brownie cup. Or the turtle pie only Coffee Bean perfects. Or Homebakers’ merceditas and Leona’s Chocolate Surprise. Feast your taste buds on Victoria pineapple ham, Marca Piña queso de bola, fruit cake, Dondi Joseph’s red wines…
But wait, ho-ho-hold it! Before gorging any further, did you know that U.S. studies have concluded that the average weight gain during Christmas is seven pounds! Yup. Seven pounds of excess baggage. And we’re going to pay for it. Funny how we spend 11 months flicking that shuttlecock, pushing that barbell, or rolling down those tenpin orbs—only to lose it all in three weeks!
Two years ago when the Philippines hosted the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, we won our first-ever overall title. We bested powerhouse nations like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. It was a historic moment in our sports history and made us all sing and dance to the tune of “Pinoy Ako.” You and I were proud to say… PINOY AKO!
Fast forward to 2007: In the past week or so, we’ve been deluged by sad news after sad news coming from Thailand. The defending champions have lost! Today, it’s official: From first place just 24 months ago, the Philippines has slipped and is down to sixth place in the SEA Games.
When we won the SEAG title in 2005, I wrote an article that appeared in Sun.Star Cebu entitled, “Why We’re Champions.” Here’s the article below…
(All photos, including below, by top Cebu photographer Benjie Ordonez)
We won because of basketball. Thanks to its no-show, one million and five spectators instead scattered and spread out among the different sports.
We won because of Paeng Nepomuceno, the six-time world bowling champion. No, Paeng did not compete. But each morning at 9 last week, he showed up at the Pearl Bowling Center and calmed the shaking hands of his fellowmen. Here at home, we won because of Danao Mayor Ramonito Durano and Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez of mountain-biking and dancesports’ Edward and Eleanor Hayco.
Congratulations to Cebu’s very own, Fr. Vicente Uy, for being appointed yesterday as the Executive Director of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).Next to PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez, his position wields the most power. But Fr. Vic, one of the humblest people I’ve met, is not overawed. In an interview, he told Manila Bulletin’s Nick Giongco: “I don’t look at it as a position of power.”
At 7:15 p.m. yesterday, I got the chance to talk to Fr. Vic for a few minutes. I congratulated him and asked how his day went. “It’s only my second day so, as expected, I was very busy,” he said over the phone. “I’m at the airport now to welcome our SEA Games athletes who are returning home.”
I’ve known Fr. Vic Uy for many years now and it’s hard to find a nicer person. Here in Cebu, he yielded influence. At the University of San Carlos, he held one of the school’s highest positions as VP for Finance. To relinquish his role, he sought the permission of USC President Fr. Rod Salazar. “I asked for a ‘leave of absence’ from USC,” I recall Fr. Vic, 58, telling me a few months back. “And good thing my colleagues at USC understood my mission to help RP sports.”
Jun San Juan, the Vice-President of the Cebu Volleyball Association (CEVA) and the husband of one of Cebu’s all-time greats in volleyball, Marichu San Juan, sent me these photos of the various events CEVA has organized. Together with Governor Gwen F. Garcia and CEVA President Glenn Soco, this organization has done a lot for Cebu sports. Check out these photos…
Gov. Gwen F. Garcia (3rd from left) and Glenn Soco (2nd from right) award the 2006 GUV Cup champion’s trophy to the Talisay City team
The Cebu Volleyball Association (Ceva) was organized in the year 2000. Though never a volleyball player, I remember Glenn Soco inviting me to join the initial core group. I sat through the first meetings and attended the induction of officers. And through the past seven years, I have seen how this group—with the help of our dynamic and energy-packed governor, Gwen Fiel Garcia, who herself, if I’m not mistaken, was once a volleyball standout—has popularized the sport and scored an ace in the Province of Cebu.
“Gov. Gwen supports volleyball,” Glenn Soco, the president of Ceva, wrote to me last week, “because she wants sports development to be one of the priorities of each Local Government Unit (LGU).”
In another excellent piece written by Sun.Star Daily’s Marian C. Baring, the University of San Jose-Recoletos have won the CESAFI women’s volleyball crown…. Here’s the story by Marian, “History: Lady Jaguars.”
(Sun.Star photo/Arni Aclao)
Throughout this blog, I’ll be posting pictures of sports personalities for you to guess. Know who this is?
Two weeks ago, he was conferred as one of the 25 Emerging Leaders by Sun.Star Daily. Last year, the Entrepreneur magazine named him “One of the 75 Most Admired Entrepreneurs of the Philippines” and, in that same season, no less than Gov. Gwen Garcia awarded him the Garbo sa Sugbo trophy. The year before that, Ernst and Young nominated him as finalist for the title, “2005 Entrepreneur of the Year.”
Glenn Anthony Soco, 34, has achieved “fame and fortune” in business. He is the President of MIMS, one of the province’s biggest manpower services companies. He is the President of Powerline Human Resources Management, Inc. and the Executive VP for G.A. Satellite Ventures, Inc. Plus, you’ve probably sipped a cup of hot cappuccino at an establishment Glenn founded 11 years ago and which has grown to 29 outlets nationwide… Coffee Dream.
Cerrone Dayo from the U.S. sent me these photos he took of some of the biggest names in beach volleyball: Karch Kiraly, Kerri Walsh and Misty May Treanor…
