MANILA, 23 August — Eduardo Buenavista and Lerma Bulauitan will stand at the forefront of the Philippines’ campaign in athletics in the coming Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, set Sept. 29-Oct. 14.

They will lead 11 other crack Filipino tracksters in a very tough mission in Busan — that is, to end a long medal drought for the Philippines in athletics.

Buenavista is entered in his favorite event — the strength-sapping 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000 run — while Bulauitan tries to duplicate, if not surpass, her recent silver-medal finish in the Asian Championships in Sri Lanka.

Joining the two in the 13-member lineup are John Lozada (800m), Asian Championships bronze winner Marestella Torres (long jump), Ernie Candelario (400m), Allan Ballester, Roy Vence and Cristabel Martes (marathon), Joebert Delicano (long jump), Sean Guevarra (high jump) and 4x400 runners Jimar Aing, Rodrigo Tanuan and Ronnie Marfil.

“This is our Asian Games list composed of the best tracksters in the land today. The Asian Games is one tough campaign but we believe our athletes will do their very best and fight for flag and country,” said Go Teng Kok, president of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA).

The national tracksters, better known as “GTK’s Army,” will be included in the Philippine Olympic Committee list of entries by names today.

Also in the PATAFA lineup are national coaches Mario Castro, Isidro del Prado, Dario de Rosas, Alex Ligtas and Romeo Gido with Beatriz Sallador as team manager.

Yet, Go Teng Kok refused to make a bold prediction as to the number of medals his wards could win in the quadrennial regional competition.

“I cannot make a prediction now but, knowing my athletes, they will be fighting for every medal in the Asian Games. Judging from our experience in the Asian Championships, winning a gold would be a very tall order,” he said. “But these are our best tracksters and it’s up to them to prove their real worth in Korea.” The last time the Philippines brought home a medal in the Asian Games was in 1994 in Hiroshima when the now retired Elma Muros-Posadas won a bronze in the long jump.

In 1994, only four were picked to compete in athletics while Muros-Posadas was the lone bet in 1998 but now, based on the standards set by the POC, 13 easily qualified for the RP Team.

Bulauitan is considered as the country’s new queen on the track today.

The 27-year-old Bulauitan, who hails from Penablanca, Cagayan, reaffirmed her lofty billing as the heir-apparent to the throne of Muros-Posadas after bagging the silver medal in women’s long jump in the Asian Championships in Sri Lanka.

In the Gov. Jose Sering Invitational Track and Field Memorial Cup early this year, she reigned supreme in the long jump before crowning herself as the fastest woman in the sportsfest.

A veteran of the Sydney Olympics, Bulauitan has long been considered the successor to Muros-Posadas — her tutor who retired at the start of the year — although many have been trying very hard to stake their claims to the throne.

With her silver-medal effort in Sri Lanka in her pet long jump, Bulauitan — who carries the colors of the Philippine Army — cemented her place on the national team to Busan. The way she performed, it was crystal-clear that Bulauitan wanted to send a message — that she’s ready to compete with world-class athletes in Busan.

“Lerma still has some hard training to do before the Busan Games, and I’ll see to it that she gets it,’’ said Go Teng Kok.

In the last Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, the Philippines won its lone gold courtesy of billiards players Ghandi Valle and Romeo “Snooky” Villanueva who won the 9-ball doubles event. In the 1994 Hirsoshima Games, the country brought home three gold medals, all in boxing.

Although some sports officials remain mum on the Philippines’ medal chances in Busan, they are oozing with confidence the athletes would surpass expectations.

Ducking away from questions on the number of victories the 150 or so athletes could achieve, officials said that their campaign in Busan should serve as the proper time to finally alter the country’s winning ways.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) officials, in particular, said the Asiad will be part of a long-term training program that hopefully would climax with a sensational victory in the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

On the other hand, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Eric Buhain gave away the numbers that could be viewed as an unofficial gold medal prediction in Busan: a minimum of four and a maximum of seven.

The former national swimmer said the mission ahead is going to be tough, but he is looking closely at four to seven possible gold medals as predicted by the athletes themselves against a field that features the best in Asia.

Buhain said he is also expecting to see some surprises on some events by athletes properly equipped and extensively trained for the regional games which could improve the one-gold medal output of the country four years ago.

The PSC has earmarked 70 million pesos for the Philippine delegation’s actual participation in Busan, with almost half of the amount to be spent in buying equipment.

Some 10 million pesos worth of equipment have already been purchased by the PSC with still some 20 million pesos on a standby.

In an effort to prepare the Filipino athletes, the PSC has launched a serious move to scout its potential rivals in Busan.

The PSC has sought assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs to help the country obtain scouting reports on the opposition as part of the Philippines’ campaign for a better Asiad finish.

“We feel the need to scout the opposition,” said Buhain. “And although the National Sports Associations (NSAs) already maintain their own network, we see the need to supplement them with the DFA reports.”

Objects of the move, Buhain said, are athletes in 22 disciplines the country is competing in the quadrennial meet.

Buhain, who did his own scouting when he was still a national athlete, said that it is the first time that DFA is being tapped for the country’s Asiad campaign. Aside from DFA’s help, the PSC is also utilizing its computer personnel to secure information about the Philippines’ Asiad rivals through the Internet.