MANILA, 26 September 2003 — The Philippines’ Liza del Rosario, Liza Clutario and Cecilia Yap made bowling history by setting two new world records in the women’s trios while making one of the biggest comebacks in the 15th World Tenpin Bowling Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
After finishing at 17th place in the first day with 1,735, the Filipinas bowled 2062 to emerge as winners after a long, uphill climb and gave the Philippines and Asia their very first gold medal of the event.
Yap, led the trio with 1,296 on lines of 192, 206, 182, 223, 225 and 268 for a 216 average; Asian Championships double gold medalist Liza del Rosario shot 1,278 on lines of 185, 190, 212, 247, 256 and 188 to average 213; and Liza Clutario added 1,223 on lines of 158, 189, 221, 212, 216 and 227 for a 204 average.
All three mainstays of the Philippine national team are silver medalists in the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
En route to their golden performance, the trio who were all graduates of the Philippine national youth team, shattered two world records. They broke the record for the three game total and the overall total which was previously held by Korea.
“This is a world championship and the best bowlers in the world all came here to represent their country. We would like to dedicate this win to our country,” national coach Johnson Cheng, who has called the shots for the trio since their junior years said.
This is a double victory already for the Philippines as earlier in the week, Steve Hontiveros, president of the Philippine Bowling Congress and 1st vice president of the Philippine Olympic Committee was elected president of the Federacion Internationale des Quillers (FIQ). The FIQ is the highest governing body of bowling and is the recognized organization of the Olympics. Hontiveros is only the third Filipino to be bestowed the highest position in world sports. The other two were from basketball and chess. His term of office is for four years.
Chan Bags Two Golds in
Asian Grand Prix
Archer Jennifer Chan became the first Filipino athlete to complement her private supporters with two gold medals in the recent second Asian Grand Prix of Archery, earning herself a congratulatory message from First Gentleman Atty. Mike Arroyo, who helped fund her trip to Singapore early this month.
“Jennifer is a very valuable asset to Philippine sports. She is a consistent medal producer for the country as proven by her many victories in the past and we are behind her in her bid to win more (medals) in Vietnam,” First Gentleman Foundation project director Rod Nepomuceno in behalf of Mr. Arroyo, after news of Chan’s victory was relayed to them on Monday, said.
Chan’s participation in the Sept. 10-15 tournament in the city-state was financed by funds raised by the Foundation, which sought support from private individuals and corporations to boost a number of athletes’ preparations for the Vietnam SEA Games.
Chan, who thanked the First Gentleman, won the gold medal in the Double 70-meter Round and Over-all 70-meter Olympic Round individual events of the tournament which featured top archers from all over Asia.
A second batch of athletes are also set to follow the first 26 athletes sent abroad by the FG Foundation through the PSC to further hone their skills and boost their chances for victory in the Dec. 5-13 joust.
Four fencers, four rowers, six boxers, two swimmers, two cyclists and two shooters will banner the “Medalyang Ginto, May Laban Tayo!” campaign initiated by Mr. Arroyo with the help of the PSC and the Philippine Olympic Committee.
PBL Is Not Pro League
Saying the existence of a contract does not necessarily remove and disregard the amateur status of a player, Malaca?ang recently threw out a decision rendered by the Games and Amusement Board and declared the Philippine Basketball League a non-professional league.
In a letter to the PBL dated Aug. 28, 2003 and signed by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, Malaca?ang stressed a contract merely establishes a link between a player and his team.
The GAB, in a resolution issued on Dec. 19, 2000, said the PBL is a professional league subject to the government agency’s regulatory and supervisory authority. Under this ruling, all players, team officials and personnel, including managers, coaches and staff and game officials, must secure respective licenses from the agency.
Then Commissioner Yeng Guiao, however, insisted the PBL is not a pro league, adding it was established primarily to operate and control an amateur basketball league designed to promote basketball among promising and gifted athletes.
“At the outset, it is noteworthy to mention that the existence of contracts given to players by member teams and companies of the PBL could not be the sole yardstick for concluding that the PBL is a pro league,” said Romulo.
The Malaca?ang decision came like a whiff of fresh air for all teams now deep in training for the PBL Second Conference tentatively set to start on Oct. 25.
Nobody was more elated with Malaca?ang’s decision than PBL chairman Dioceldo Sy who said, “I’m glad this issue is finally over. It’s time to move on, strengthen the PBL and turn this league into a pillar of RP basketball.”
Aguilar Affirms
Top Gun Billing
Caltex-Revtex star rider Glenn Aguilar re-affirmed his status as the country’s No. 1 motorcycle racer with a twin-kill in the premier pro open division of the Panabo City Motocross Championship in Panabo, Davao recently.
Aguilar, who has virtually wrapped up Asia’s most prestigious title in the FIM Asian Motocross Championship in Singapore recently, won the first heat in style, beating his closest pursuer in Jing Leongson by 15 seconds, which, by motocross standards is a lightyear away.
His Revtex teammate in Bebet dela Cruz emerged fifth behind Popeye Rubi (3rd) and Ernie Leongson (4th).
Aguilar, nicknamed “The Rocket’’ due to his speed and daring, experimented in the second race and decided to pull back to fourth place in the first lap. Then, one by one, he overtook his rivals en route to the victory before a roaring crowd of 25,000 at the Panabo football field.
“We had a good time. The Davaoenos were really appreciative of the race and we hope to be back here again sometime in the future,’’ said Aguilar, who is also backed by No Fear, Sidi Boots, Renthal, Oakley and Pro Grip.
Manila SEAG Budget
Down to 500m Pesos
The budget for the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games in Manila in 2005 has been reduced to 500 million pesos down from 200 billion pesos.
According to Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayit, the big slash in the projected budget came after the organizing committee abandoned plans to build a new sports complex.
With some ingenuity, Dayrit said staging the SEAG for only 500 million pesos is doable.
A cost-saving measure that is being considered is the billeting of athletes according to their respective sports, a move Vietnam will introduce when it holds this year’s SEAG in the cities of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi in December.
Dayrit said that transportation expenses could be minimized if, for example, taekwondo is held at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City, the jins would be housed at a nearby hotel like the five-star Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Lina Elected to
Cycling Board
Team Bert Lina was elected along with 10 others to the board of the national federation of cycling, a development perceived as the shot in the arm Philippine cycling urgently needs.
Lina, chairman of Air21 which principally bankrolled the revival of the fabled Tour, towed his team composed of back-to-back Tour champions Cornelio Padilla Jr. and Paquito Rivas, Arthur Cayabyab and Jun Lomibao to the 15-man board which will serve a term of one Olympic cycle or four years.
Also elected were Leo Magaway, Antonio Cruz, Fred Corda, Armando Bautista, Jose Ferrer, Carlos Gredonia, Armando Camiling and Col. (ret.) Romeo Modelo who all run under the unity ticket that included the Lina team and independent candidates Alberto Garcia and Jojo Villa.
