RP colors to unfurl in SEAG rites

KUALA LUMPUR – The Philippine colors will be raised today in the traditional flag-raising ceremonies for competing nations in the 21st Southeast Asian Games with Freddie Jalasco, chief of mission of the 502-strong Philippine delegation, and 20 Filipino athletes taking part here.

Jalasco, who led the first wave of Filipino athletes who arrived in this Malaysian capital last Wednesday, said he will pick 20 athletes from different sports disciplines to join him in the ceremony. The main bulk of the RP delegation left Manila yesterday.

The official opening ceremonies for the biennial games being hosted by Malaysia for the first time since 1989 is set tomorrow. Since the Games will be played in three venues, there will be three separate ceremonies.

Benjie Tolentino, the country’s lone representative in the rowing competitions of last year’s Sydney Olympics, will carry the RP flag in the Kuala Lumpur opener.

Taekwondo jin Roberto Cruz, also a Sydney Olympian, will be in Penang Johore Baru while Mark Rosales, a gold medalist in the 1997 World Wushu Championships in Italy, will be in Penang.

The Philippines is entered in 29 of the 32 sports lined up by the organizers. Wushu, squash, bowling and pencak silat will be played in Penang while taekwondo, archery, weightlifting and judo will be played in Johore Baru.

For the next 10 days, Filipino athletes will wage battle for flag and country in the regional competitions and hope to improve on their gold medal output of 20 golds in the Brunei edition of the Games two years ago.

The country's top sports officials led by Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Carlos Tuason are confident that the Filipinos can win 40 gold medals here as the nation tries to regain some measure of respect following dismal finishes in the last two Games.