Election winners = Win for Sports?
Each time elections come around, we get excited and anxious over who wins and the sports programs they’ll implement during their term. As a sports-loving Cebu, we’ve had our share of successes that have reached the highest levels. And all this started at the bottom where our local leaders play a huge role in sports grassroots development. Let’s take a look at the biggest winners of the recent elections and see what may happen next under their leadership.
The biggest change is at the provincial capitol where Governor-elect Gwen Garcia makes a return to an office she once occupied. Making it interesting is that her incoming Vice Governor is no other than the current Governor Junjun Davide. Both are well-known to support sports and have ventured on big impact sports activities during their terms as governor. Gov. Davide’s biggest move was to revitalize the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission (CPSC). The CPSC ran a number of activities, and the biggest ones were the Governor’s Cup for basketball and volleyball. Basketball’s version ran for three years while volleyball was held once and was due to have another edition this year, one that may be put on hold under the new leadership. The CPSC also distributed sports equipment and conducted workshops/clinics across the province. The CPSC also sent teams to compete in the Batang Pinoy Regional and National Finals. Meanwhile, Gov. Gwen also ran a successful GUV Cup for volleyball during her term as governor. With Gov. Gwen coming in, we can expect the GUV Cup to resume as this was a pet project of hers. She’ll surely bring in a new set of people at the CPSC and implement activities aligned with her over-all plan for Cebu. I don’t think she’s going to disrupt activities like the IronMan 70.3, an annual event that has made its mark in partnership with the provincial government ever since it started. But the thing to look out for is if the new leadership will continue with a province-wide basketball tournament in the mold of the Governor’s Cup, and what kind of sports clinics and workshops they’ll conduct. But one thing for certain is that she’s not going to allow her sports program to be outdone by the previous administration.
Changes have also come in Cebu City with a new mayor, but I don’t think there will be too many major changes from the previous leadership. Activities will continue as most of these were programs implemented when Vice Mayor-elect Mike Rama was mayor. Mayor-elect Edgar Labella is a health buff who jog-walks everyday and will surely support sports. And with sportsmen Dondon Hontiveros, Yayoy Alcoseba, Joy Young and Jun Gabuya in the council, plus CCSC Chairman Ed Hayco on board, there already is a surplus of sports leaders. My fear is that there might be a case analysis-paralysis with all these sports geniuses sharing all their inputs. But then again, that’s still better than having none at all. My personal wish for Cebu City sports is to get an artificial turf for the Cebu City Sports Center, renovate the sports center to meet international standards, and to finally build that sports complex in the SRP. Enough talk. Action na!
In the first district, the status quo will prevail with Mayor Eddie Gullas and Cong. Samsan Gullas swapping places. The Gullas Cup will surely go on and could even get bigger. Moreover, Mayor-elect Samsam Gullas might implement more activities in Talisay. A personal wish is that they also work on other sports especially where sports venues are available. In Naga, I hope they can maximize the track and field oval, football field, 50-meter swimming pool and tennis courts in Naga. Triathlon has also made Naga a venue and may this grow even more.
In the fifth district, we find an interesting twist of events with former Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco winning as Congressman. That automatically wipes out the annual Cong. Red Durano Cup, an Under 18 basketball tournament that is on its ninth edition and whose championship game will be played tonight in Danao. Will the new Congressman also put up a similar basketball tournament for the district? Or will Cong. Red Durano continue with a tenth edition of the tournament in 2019 but call it under a different name since he’ll no longer be in Congress by then?
Mandaue and Lapu-lapu have also elected new mayors and it is our wish that their respective sports programs get a major uplift, knowing that there are a lot of young talents just waiting for opportunities to compete in their favorite sports. It’s high time that they level up from the usual inter-barangay tournaments to discovering national-level talents. We also have those success stories in sports in places like Tabuelan, Medellin, Catmon, San Francisco, Bantayan Island and Carmen.
More success stories that I hope government leaders pay attention to? Playing for the Philippine Under 15 Girls football team in Thailand are three Lady Magis Eagles: Raya Tolentino (team captain), Mia Evangelista and Maegan Alforque. Also with them on the coaching staff is Coach Apol Bariñan. Let’s not forget that Sisi Rondina is from Compostela, Deanna Wong is from USJR/Cebu and Isa Molde is from Catmon. Four Cebu football products played in the La Salle-Ateneo UAAP Finals for football: three Archers and one Blue Eagle (or maybe more?). Three of the UAAP’s top six goal scorers come from Cebu Football. And then you have the likes of Margielyn Didal, Ralph Trinidad, PADS and many more who bloomed on their own with minimal support coming from a sports program of an LGU (correct me if I’m wrong here).
Pardon the obvious bias for sports. But that’s our take on all newly-elected local government leaders. Sports is a nation-building phenomenon where you can’t go wrong.
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