MANILA, 25 April 2003 — Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor held fellow grandmaster Eugene Torre to a draw in the 11th and final round to rule the first part of the 2003 Shell National Open Rapid Chess Championships grand finals.
The draw gave Villamayor, chess coach of the Philippine Air Force team, eight points in 11 rounds as he beat Torre by a point in the round-robin tournament.
The 35-year-old Villamayor had turned back international master Petronio Roca in the 10th round to stay clear of the pursuing Torre.
Like Villamayor, the 52-year-old Torre won in the 10th round at the expense of IM Jayson Gonzales to finish with seven points.
GM Joey Antonio drew his last two matches to be at solo third with 6.5 points as the country’s top players lived up to expectations.
Antonio halved the point with NM Rolly Martinez in the 10th and IM Nelson Mariano II in the final round.
Reyes, Bustamante, Parica
Top Money Makers
The Philippines’ Efren “Bata” Reyes, Jose “Amang” Parica and Francisco “Django” Bustamante made it to the Top 10 in billiards’ list of money makers at the close of the year’s first quarter.
The 49-year-old Reyes is running a strong second among the top money makers for 2003 with $20,550 (P1,089,150) at the end of March.
The Angeles City native, who bagged a bronze medal in last year’s Busan Asian Games, is just behind Montreal, Quebec native Danny Hewitt, who has thus far pocketed $21,530.
Reyes, meanwhile, finished No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic 9-Ball Championship held last January at the Holiday Inn in Chesapeake, Virginia; placed second in the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour Stop No. 17; seventh in the 10-Ball Challenge at Trump Marina; and wound up 17th in San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour Stop 1. Parica, now based in California, is just trailing Reyes with $19,685.
So far, the 54-year-old Parica has conquered the Derby City Classic One Pocket Division, where he pocketed $6,600. He also has two runner up finishes in the Derby City Classic Overall Bonus and the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour Stop No. 20.
Bustamante is at sixth spot in the Top 10 money rankings with $18,300 (P969,900). The Germany-based Bustamante, who won the doubles gold medal with Antonio Lining in the Asian Games, bagged the championships in the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour Stop No. 17 and 18, aside from placing a strong second runner up finish in the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour Stop 1.
Leongson Rules
Guam Motocross
Two-time national champion Ernie Leongson proved that he is not only the best motocross rider in the country, but also the top rider in Guam.
Leongson made motocross history by becoming the first-ever rider to achieve back-to-back championship in the 2003 Miller Light Smokin Wheel invitational motocross championship held at the Calvo Memorial OffRoad Park in Guam.
Known in the local motocross circle as “Mr. Nice Guy”, Leongson achieved the feat against some of the best riders in the region. Looking almost unstoppable in his YZ 250, the multi-awarded campaigner from Taytay, Rizal dominated both the flat track and 250cc categories to capture top honors in the two-day event organized by the Guam Racing Federation (GRF).
Leongson defeated Guam champions Steve Santos and Frank Rios.
605 Filipino Athletes
for Vietnam SEAG
The Philippines is expected to be made up of at least 605 athletes when it submits the entries by number to the organizers of the 22nd Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam this month.
Nestor Ilagan, a member of the technical commission that screens delegates to the biennial regional competition, said the 605 is “the maximum number of competitors” the country can send in the games.
He, however, stressed this will be dramatically trimmed before the Dec. 5-13 event.
Ilagan said it has been the practice of the NSAs (national sports associations) to list the maximum number of competitors and strike out those who would not eventually pass the criteria when the organizers’ deadline for the submission of entries by names comes. The SEA Games technical handbook along with the entry forms by number have arrived from Vietnam last week and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has started distributing them to the 28 NSAs intending to field in bets to the SEAG.
PSC Assure at Least
5,000 Athletes For Palaro
At least 5,000 student-athletes with parental consent have already submitted their entries to the Palarong Pambansa set May 4-11 at the sprawling Mindanao Civic Center in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
The entries came from 14 regions all over the country, signifying their intention to see action in what is expected to be the biggest Palaro ever in terms of planning and level of competitions. Philippine Sports Comission (PSC) chairman Eric Buhain said they are still waiting for the National Capital Region and Region 7 (Western Visayas), which traditionally sends big delegations.
Buhain expressed delight in the turnout of the entries considering the bad publicity the province got but added the agency, as well as the provincial government led by Gov. Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo, police and military are taking no chances.
Support for the Palaro has been gaining ground following the committment issued by several local governments to send delegations to the biggest annual search for athletic talents.
Bigger Manila Youth Games
Mulled For 2004
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and Manila Sports Council chief Arnold “Ali” Atienza, inspired by the success of the just-concluded 2nd Manila Youth Games, expect to hold a bigger event next year for the city’s youth.
At the same time, they expressed the hope the games “served not only as an athletic tool for the city’s youth but also as a vehicle for molding assets of society.
“Competition alone is not the primary objective of the MY Games,” said Mayor Atienza, who has committed his support for the training and preparation of outstanding athletes in the second edition of the event for future national competitions.
“We hope that through the MY Games, we are fulfilling our contribution to the country’s grassroots development program and we envision an even bigger MY Games next year,” added Masco chief Ali Atienza, son of the mayor.
The 2nd MY Games produced young sports potentials like five-gold medal winners Antonio Mendenilla, Analyn Ricalde, and Joy Regillas in athletics, swimming’s Mikee Bartolome, Judith Elizah Cruz and Thessa Paula Alcantara and gymastic’s Rachelyn Astillar. Other outstanding performers were four-gold medal winners Daryll Ceballos in athletics, swimming’s Johansen Aguilar and gymnastic’s Magie Wagan, Rizza Desiree Garcia and Bleau Berry Gulfan.
