The pre-war star athletes of Cebu (Part I)

Cebu City has honored two homegrown star athletes with streets named after them they were Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, the street in Mambaling formerly named as Gansiang and Francisco Vestil in Mambaling going to SRP. The two were blessed that though they may have died years ago, their names will forever be itched in our streets.

But they were not the only ones who brought honor to Cebu to the national and international scene in the field of sports. In the "Golden Book of Cebu" it is fortunate that it has been a repository of the glorious past of Cebu in sports.

Many of the Cebuanos including the government both the Province and the City failed to honor these sportsmen. Their names forgotten with no memorials, no markers, their stories of greatness buried. Ironically their relatives may have no knowledge of the greatness of their ancestors as one of the diseases of the nation is historical amnesia.

Let me name their hallowed names forgotten by a race. In the field of baseball: The triumvirate of the Ylanan clan: Regino, Catalino, and Anselmo. Ramon and Rufino both surnamed Manuel. The Ramas represented by Nicolas and Hugo.

They defended the Philippine flag in several Far-Eastern Olympic Games. In 1914, the Cebu team was the only local school team that defeated the strong Japanese team "Waseda." The baseball players of Cebu to continue: Regino Birtulfo, Cristeto Regis, Cristino Pangilinan, Francisco Manzanares, Ismael Perez, Rafael Canete, Antonio Sarmiento, Angel Medalle, Hugo Ramos, and Mariano F. Saberon.

In Basketball aside from Francisco Vestil they were: Constantino Rabaya, Catalino Ylanan, Francisco Roska, Raymundo Pangilinan, Nicolas Ano-os, Vicente Manalili and Samuel Campos. Cebu dominated the East Visayan Athletic Association from 1912 to 1934. Bohol wrestled for the cup but the following year Cebu regained the title.

There was one whose star shown brighter in the name of Bibiano Ouano, who played in the Far-Eastern Olympic Games in 1934 and was one of the Philippine delegates to the World Olympics in Berlin.

In the Far-Eastern Olympic Games first played in Manila in 1913, Cebuanos took the spotlight. In track and field, Pio Robillos, King of the cinder-path at that time, easily won the 100 yard and the 220 yard dashes, defeating the Chinese and Japanese contestants. Joining Robillos was Jose Lozada who won the 220 yard hurdles.

The lone Filipino who won in the shot-put, discus throw and pentathlon was the Cebuano, Regino Ylanan.

In the Far-Eastern Olympics, a Cebuano established a record of 11 feet 6 ½ inches in the pole vault which remained unbroken for the next six years. His name was Antonio Alo.

There was Generoso Rabaya (younger brother star athlete Constantino Rabaya) established a 15-8/10 seconds in the 110 meter high hurdles. Another magnificent player was Valentin Malinao, of the mile-relay team, was also a 440 yard runner. Track and Field athletes includes, Francisco Manuel and Rufino (dashers), Ramon Manuel (sprinter), Apolinario Aloba (long distance runner), Roberto Sato (half miler), Indalicio Ybanez (sprinter), Mateo Malinao and Mario Branzuela (shot-putters), and Cayetano Tibay (hurdler).

Before the war, Cebu already had many tennis courts. There was in San Nicolas, the Chinese Court in Mango Avenue (now Arcadio Maxilom Avenue) and at the Cebu Junior College. Interestingly, Cebu had a manufacturer of tennis rackets in the name of Eulalio Causin.  The star tennis players were: Lope Yngayo, Leonardo Gavia. They played in the Davis Cup tournament in the European Zone and played against Austria in 1928. There was also Rodrigo Diaz ranked number 3 in the country. Didoy Rubi of the University of the Philippines was the Junior National Singles Champion. There were also Domingo Mendoza and Genaro Lapus. (To be continued)