2 Aeta athletes to lead Philippine delegates in Brazil olympics

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines  – Two Aeta athletes will lead eight other tribal folk, including Igorots, Dumagats and a Mangyan, as the country’s delegates to the First World Games of Indigenous Peoples in Toncantins, Brazil on Oct. 23.

“I am confident we will be champions at least in archery,” Aeta Jun Ablong, 34, told The STAR yesterday.

Ablong and his friend Aeta Dumlao Naval, 45, were the archery champions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations tribal games held in Malaysia in 2010.

They were declared national archery champions in competitions held in recent years in Bataan and Mountain Province.

Guy Hilbero, tourism officer of Mabalacat City and founder of the Mabalacat Association of Tribal Associations, said Naval and Ablong and eight other tribal members will fly to Brazil on Sunday night, two days before the Brazil tribal olympics starts.

The games will run until Nov. 1.

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Sept. 29 submitted the names of the athletes to the embassy of Brazil for the tribal olympics.

Aside from Naval and Ablong, the eight other athletes are Igorots Jason Balabal, Mark Sumalag, Elvis Julius and Erlyn Balabal; Dumagats Marlon Luna and Ricardo Turgo, and Mangyan Jerry Manalo.

The delegation will be led by retired Col. Antonio Tamayo Jr., chairman of the sports for all and environmental committees of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Hilbero said there would be 11 events in the Brazil olympics, but the Philippines will participate only in archery, spear toss, tug of war, 100-meter barefoot race, wrestling and swimming.