Sports: Pinoy Pride 14 a Success!

After some many weeks of not coming out with my piece, I am back sharing some experiences I encountered in covering sports events.

Watching the fight of Nietes at Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila where lies the Casino, was another experience for this piece. As one of the selected sports writers, I am privileged to cover the event with much interest. I thank ALA Promotion of the privilege, for their unending support to boxing in the country - as the only boxing promotion outfit that continuously hold international boxing bouts in tandem with the huge television Network, the ABS-CBN.

I saw how our boxers from Negros Occidental show their skills and talents. I can see how Genesis Servania pummeled his Mexican foe, the real Genaro Garcia in the 12th round to convince spectators his win was no fluke. How Servania survived head butts that he seems irritated and would end Garcia early but he can’t find the right time.

I also saw how Arthur "El Matador" Villanueva survived another bloody encounter with former WBO Flyweight champion Jeffrey Cerna. Who used his head first before unleashing his combinations that later spectators called him the "El Toro" against the "El Matador"?

I saw too how Juren Labordo deposed his opponent, Fel Morales of Manila in an easy fashion, but I admired a boxer named Boyce Sultan of Zamboanga Del Norte, whom despite his defeat the more experienced Ralph Lulu of Toledo City will go places because of his courage and bravery to face his opponents and exchange punches without fear.

Nietes dominated the fights with crisp body punches against Felipe Salguero of Mexico. I never saw Nietes fighting like the way he fights Salguero last Saturday. He was way of the one who fight Raul "Rayito" Garcia at University of St. La Salle last October when he wrest the Junior Flyweight division. He was slippery that night and Salguero could not find his mark although he was aggressive all the way. It really a new Nietes I saw, as what Murcia mayor Andrew Montelibano witnessed too, along with Games and Amusement Board Chairman and WBC Secretary-General Juan Ramon "Monju" Guanzon.

****

After the Philippine National Games, I never heard of its impact to discover new talents. The entry of RP members and Training Pool seem to have fallen on them after some of them were defeated by secondary and colleges’ bets. Take the case of beach volleyball on both men and women. The RP Team was handily beaten by aspiring players that got the ire of Philippine Sports Commission ordering the stoppage of their salaries. Other RP members were consistent on their performance like the husband-and-wife tandem of Julius and Lorelie Amahit-Sermona, both of Binalbagan and Himamaylan City respectively. They won their respective events. However, there are also controversies that cropped up in the holding of the event like the billiards that put questionable billings on the holding of PNG if it is really the tournament that would discover new talents and potentials.

****

From covering Palarong Pambansa in Lingayen, Pangasinan to the Philippine National Game in Dumaguete City and then in Manila are really very tiring coverage, but interesting and very enjoying along with other colleagues, like Lito Oredo. I hope to continue the job in order to inform our readers on what’s happening in the sports circle. But what a very sad experience was losing my passport in Lingayen while covering Palarong Pambansa. I have to secure a new one with so many requirements to do so. It is good if they consider my old passport to issue a new one for me without so many requirements to secure and will just pay the penalty if that is the case.

I never had time to do this before, but I thank Congressman Leopoldo N. Bataoil of the 2nd District of Pangasinan for allowing my stay at his beach house which is more convenient and comfortable for me during my one week stay in Pangasinan. Bataoil was the former Provincial Commander of Negros Occidental before he becomes a lawmaker.*