Claret enhances football legacy

For over 50 years, Claret School of Diliman, Quezon City, has consistently produced a long line of prominent alumni who became well-known in their fields. In sports, the Claretians include J. C. Intal, Fonzo Gotladera, the Cuan brothers, Kenneth Raval and Ricky Dandan of basketball, the Mella brothers and Jun Lidasan of taekwondo, Hagen Topacio of shooting and Aris Caslib, Anto Gonzales, Russell Castro, Marco Casambre and Kurt Alvarez of football.

No question, it’s football where Claret has established a rich tradition of excellence in sports. In fact, Claret’s elementary team will represent Quezon City at the Department of Education’s Palarong Pambansa NCR meet next month. The Red Roosters varsity defeated perennial winner Ateneo in the Athletic Association of Private Schools Quezon City championships last November to earn the right.  Members of the team are captain Joro Torres, NCRFA/YFL/NOFA Luzon Cup Golden Boot awardee Filbert Tacardon, former NCRFA U9 MVP Rossen Comla, former NCRFA U9 best goalkeeper Carlos Chua, Filmar Tacardon, Jonathan Hosana, Miguel Reta, Miguel Peredo, Inigo Dimatulac, Enzo Darang, Cris Rante, Seth and Suriel Madulid, Nathan Adriano, Ethan Moreno, Bastian Ramos, Gianno Narcise and Patrick Sanggalang.

If Claret tops the NCR meet, it will advance to the national Palarong Pambansa in Marikina in April. The elementary team hopes to duplicate what Claret’s high schoolers did in 2017 when they represented Quezon City and NCR enroute to winning the gold at the Palaro in Antique in 2017. Incidentally, Claret will battle Philippine Christian University for the RIFA high school open (first phase) league title this month. Last year, Claret dominated several football festivals – the Del Monte Cup in Bukidnon, the Bong Tanco Cup, the Xavier Cup and the Atletico Diliman 10 Year Anniversary Cup. Claret’s main football backers are school director Mauricio Ulep and die-hard Real Madrid fan Fr. Santiago Gonzalez, a Spanish priest.

In relation to the school’s sports program, the Claret Football Center was established to spread the gospel of the game and opened its third of four-phase teaching module for the schoolyear 2019-20 last Jan. 11. Every Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., it’s football time on Claret’s artificial turf that was laid out to FIFA’s specifications. The module is for beginners and advanced players, 5 to 16 years old, boys and girls and open to non-Claretians. PFF coaching instructor and AFC A-licensed coach Bob Salvacion has been at the helm of Claret’s football program since 1981.

Salvacion and Japan’s Reiji Hirata coached the Philippine national team at the AFC U16 championships in Indonesia in 2018. Salvacion and his former Claret player Anto Gonzales handled the Philippine team that played at the AFF U22 championships in Phnom Penh and the U23 championships qualifier in Malaysia last year.

Salvacion’s coaching staff in the Football Center includes AFC licensed coaches Benj Anicete (a long-time Claret youth and grassroots champion coach and RIFA U15 selection manager), former UP women’s winger Ayr Acejas, former UP goalkeeper Christopher Datu, former FEU women’s and national youth defender Airene Decena, Outkast FC midfielder Mary Claire Igarta, former UP women’s football team striker Bermudo Sta. Clara, former San Beda women’s and Outkast FC forward Janelle Flores, former St. Benilde defender Edward Alvizo, former UP and Claret defender Jose Angelo de Vera, former Claret midfielder Miguel Hernandez, former UP women’s team midfielder Kristel Lao, UST assistant coach Carlo Santiago, UST and Ceres Youth utility Michal Anicete, former UST Tiger Dionisio Busmion Jr. and Adamson coach Joplong Brillantes.

The Claret football program has been continuously producing quality players. Currently seeing action in collegiate and high-level leagues are national youth mainstay Ray Sanciangco, Harel Dayan, Patrick Dizon, Jelo Facturanan, Karl Bugayong, Kenneth Cammayo, Edmund Venus, Randy Raz, Angelo Pagdanganan, Francis Tacardon, Genaro Sabile of UP, Anicete of UST, Kristian Cammayo of La Salle, Francisco Xavier Santos of Mapua and Julian Garcia of the University of Asia and the Pacific futsal team.

For inquiries on how to participate in the Claret Football Center, please contact coach Jose Sevilleja at 0905-4364868 or Ms. Mean de Jose at (02) 89216587.