Austria urges Sariaya youth to take sports

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Beer head coach Leo Austria is promoting healthy lifestyle and sports development in his hometown Sariaya in Quezon province. And with the help of San Miguel Corp., Austria believes there are young sports talents that can be identified in the province.

Austria, along with PBA legend Alvin Patrimonio, joined Sariaya local officials led by Mayor Marcelo Gayeta and Quezon clergy led by Lucena Bishop Mel Rey Uy during the recent inauguration of the new facilities of the 5.4-hectare San Miguel-Christian Gayeta Homes, which include a covered and concrete basketball court, livelihood center, e-library, and children’s learning center.

Austria expressed gratitude to SMC president and COO Ramon S. Ang for taking care of 127 families relocated to the P352 million sustainable housing community from the risky coastal areas of Sariaya.

The SMBeermen head tactician said the SMC presence in their place could well boost basketball in the whole province and produce fresh talents for the collegiate leagues and even the pro loop.

Austria, the PBA rookie of the year awardee in 1985, said that living in the province did not deter him from moving forward as a player and coach in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL) and the PBA.

“Ang sabi ko nga sa mga bata, ako nga na tagarito sa Sariaya ay nagsikap at umabot sa PBA. Kaya’t kaya rin nila basta magsikap sila at malaking blessing na nandito ang San Miguel sa Sariaya,” Austria said.

“Being in San Miguel changed my life. Ang sabi ko sa mga kababayan ko ay nagpakita ng malasakit ang San Miguel at si Boss RSA nung lockdown at hanggang ngayon ay maaasahan nila yun. Magkakaroon ng trabaho at makakatulong sa income ng local government units ang pagtatayo ng negosyo ng San Miguel sa Sariaya,” said Austria.

Upon learning that SMC’s housing community has a concrete basketball court, Austria said he would have wanted to conduct basketball clinics for children. But that will have to wait as existing quarantine restrictions prohibit team-oriented sports activities.

“Maraming kabataan sa pinatayong subdivision ng San Miguel. Kapag nawala na siguro ang pandemya at meron nang vaccine ay puwede na tayong magkaroon ng mga clinics dito para sa sports development nila at ma-boost ulit yung basketball sa Sariaya,” said Austria.

Playing basketball as a teenager in Sariaya evokes happy memories for Austria. “Nag-umpisa ako ng volleyball sa St. Francis High School but madalas na ko sa intrams (intramurals) noon bago ako napunta sa basketball nung junior at senior year,” he said.

“May basketball court sa tapat ng simbahan na tawag ay parke kung saan madalas kami maglaro halos maghapon. Ang tawag nga sa akin ay batang parke. Kung saan-saan nga kami nakakarating sa Quezon para maglaro ng mga kaibigan ko,”he recalled.

Austria said that he hopes more Quezon-based players can make it to the collegiate and professional leagues. “Ang mga naalala ko ay sina Alex at Boy Clarino na taga-Pagbilao, si Gido Babilonia na taga Alabat ay yung bago sa PBA na si Jesper Aya-ay na taga Pagbilao rin. Sana marami pang umangat na player na taga Quezon in the future.”

SMC is set to build a modern, state-of-the-art integrated agro-industrial complex in Sariaya, Quezon that will include a brewery, grains terminal and feedmill, a ready-to-eat food manufacturing plant, fuel tank farm, and port facilities.

Each housing unit in the community, built under Housing Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) standards, has a lot area of 54 square meters that can fit a bedroom, toilet and bathroom, kitchen, dining area, and loft capability. The community also has an overhead water tank with 136,000-liter capacity, a dedicated sewage treatment plant made of natural reed beds, park, daycare center, and playground garden.