Dyan's Krusada spurs support for PDBFT

MANILA, Philippines - Before the TV appearances, the multimillion donations and endorsements, and the medal haul in Tampa Bay, Florida, the Cobra Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Team (PDBFT) was the focus of Dyan Castillejo’s eye-opening report on ABS-CBN’s Krusada.

It was in her 45-minute documentary that the public first saw in detail the plight of the dragon boat paddlers, who after bringing honor to the country with world records on the sport, were stripped of their title as the country’s official team due to politics within the sports agencies. They have beaten superpowers in rowing to become world champions, but they still pack their own rice and canned goods to international competitions because they are not given pocket money.

After the airing of this feature last July 14, things weren’t the same for the team anymore, in fact, it became so much better.

Help from the private sector started to come in, the Filipino community in Florida, who heard about their condition via TFC, welcomed and showered them with food and clothes, while the Filipino media gave them prominent coverage all throughout their stint in the 10th International Dragon Boat Federation World Championship.

In a press conference held recently, Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Team (PDBFT) president Marcia Cristobal personally thanked Dyan for the role she has played in creating awareness on the team’s concerns and for paving the way for the overwhelming support for the team from different sectors. ABS-CBN, Dyan’s home network, also donated P1M to PDBT.

In her many years in broadcast journalism, Dyan has truly evolved to become one of our finest sports journalists, and more importantly, the champion of our unsung sports heroes.

Not only is she capable of covering a wide array of sports including tennis, boxing, football and now dragon boat racing, but she is also able to trigger significant changes in favor of the players, and their sports in general.

Krusada airs Thursday nights after Bandila.