Ironman Relay Team

We wanted to keep it a secret until we have trained but a lot of people in the know were just too excited. When the Cobra Ironman 70.3 unfolds on August 5 at the Shangrila Resort Hotel in Mactan, one relay team will stand out from the rest. No, this team is not composed of Olympians, but two amputees from above the knee and a 64 year-old marathoner. Yes folks if plans don’t misfire, one-legged triathlete Rudy Fernandez, one-legged swimmer Arnold Balais and yours truly will form the All-Ilonggo team in the triathlon. Doubly excited was Ironman Philippines top honcho Wilfred Uytengsu whom I met during the Shopwise Cebu opening last month. Fred said the team will be explosive and promised to give us a slot. Although we will have two amputees and a senior citizen, I’m almost confident we won’t finish last. Rudy was a former national record holder in the 1,600 meters and won a silver in the 800 meters in the 1972 Pesta Sukan in Singapore. Rudy has joined several triathlons including Subic, Everyman and Timex International. He swam the Guimaras Strait (26km) in 8 hours in 1966 and cycled 240 kilometers fom IloIlo to Capiz in 13 hours in 2000. Arnold Balais swam the Olango Channel years back and was a gold medalist in the Malaysian Para Games and yours truly? never mind, I’m sure 34 years of running will bail me out. By the way, Arnold will do the swim. Rudy the bike while I’ll do the run.

Sunrisers Legends

My slowing down on organizing footraces has given me some time to do other passions. For instance I’ve been planning to do a legends basketball game with Sunrisers Basketball, a club I helped organized two (2) decades ago. Finally I’m back on the drawing board. We intend to hold a Legends game with original members 50 to 60 years old which will be divided into two. Some of the “origs” include Bolgen Campomanes, Tata Cortes, Jessie Gabatan, Celso Evangelista, Dr. Wenny Lumapas, Sal Cutanda and myself. We wanted to hold this game last year but Boy Maranga left for the States.

Legends Of Rock & Roll

We are also in the planning stage of some mini-concerts. While Sam Costanilla and yours truly are vent on doing an ‘Elvis Tival” in August during the King’s death anniversary, we are also preparing the Legends of Rock n’Roll concert where we will have impersonators of Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Tina Turner and of course Elvis. By the way, my good friend and fellow musician Vic Eco has now become the official mexican national anthem singer. He sang in last Sunday’s Pinoy Pride 13 where AJ Banal sent Mexican Raul Hidalgo to a different planet in only the first round.

Katilingban Hiligaynon

Now that I have a little time I’m also starting a move to revive the Katilingban Hiligaynon sa Cebu (KHC). We were active in the early 80’s until it became inactive in the mid 90’s. We attempted to revive it several times but it never took off. This time however, we will give it more time and effort. KHC is an organization of Ilonggos coming from Panay (Iloilo, Antique, Aklan and Capiz) and Negros Occidental,now residing in Cebu City. Some of Ilonggos and Negrenses currently based in Cebu are KHC past president Ben Yapjoco, Romy Hipolito, Cebu provincial administrator Ed Habin from Antique, boxing promoters Bidoy Aldeguer (Bacolod) and Sammy Gello-ani. (Guimbal, IloIlo), Tina Ebrada, Rosebud Sala, eye surgeon Cymer Go, Francis and Joy Onglatco, Alex Solinap, Ricky Ballesteros, Georgia Osmeña, Allen Zaldariaga and Councilor Margot Osmeña.