Laguna enhances bid with 13-gold splurge

CAGAYAN DE ORO – Laguna firmed up its bid for the overall championship in the third Philippine Olympic Festival National Championship by winning 13 more gold medals yesterday, holding off the charges of Gen. Santos City, Manila and Baguio at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Complex here.

Welterweight Jacob Gonzales, middleweight Anthony Deo and featherweight Jenina Gay Go took the gold medals in their respective divisions in taekwondo as the Bicol and Southern Tagalog Qualifying Games champions hiked their gold-silver-bronze medal haul to 59-39-38 heading into the final day of the week-long championships.

Gen. Santos City, which charged back into contention Monday, slowed down with four gold medals, including three in taekwondo and one in arnis, falling 15 golds short off Laguna with a 44-29-28 tally.

Reigning overall champion Manila, meanwhile, stayed in the hunt by winning 13 more golds as it dominated archery and raised its output to 38-33-15, barely ahead of a resurgent Baguio City side (36-27-39).

With only karatedo, wrestling, beach volleyball and sepak takraw events left to be disputed, Laguna could well be on its way to capturing the overall championship after finishing third in last year’s edition of the event organized by POF chair Robert Aventajado and host Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno.

Over at the Provincial Capitol, Zamboanga City shone in contact sports as it copped three golds in muay thai through featherweight Ryan Jakiri light-welter Mark Gregorio and pinweight Peter Bayaras in the event which serves as the Philippine Olympic Committee’s talent identification and sports development program.

Negros Oriental likewise bagged three muay golds behind light fly Jun Jun Sinco and pinweights Krisna Limbaga and John Rey Bendijo along with Iloilo, courtesy of welterweight Leonard Delarmino, flyweight Phillip Delarmino and bantam Agustin Delarmino.

Misamos Oriental, for its part, gave the hometown crowd something to cheer about as local bets Moso Arden and Felbie Bartolaba won the gold medals in the cotton weight.

Pasig’s Myles Uy and Mohammed Roberto Valdez III, Laguna’s Precious Ocaya, Bukidnon’s Gully Duco, Zamboanga Sibugay’s Jeric Pagara and Cagayan de Oro’s Leomar Jay Malubay accounted for the other gold medals in the martial art event.

Baguio City, the Central and Northern Luzon Qualifying Games titlist, moved into contention with a 25-gold splurge in archery and four-gold production in taekwondo.

Brette Leean led the Baguio blitz with wins in 15 meters, 12m, 10m and FITA 900 in recurve yeoman event while Kristine Vic Victor also had four with victories in 60m, 50m, 40m and FITA 900 in recurve juniors.

Finweights Jeordan Dominguez and Patricia Mae Sembrano, feather Korinah Natura and bantam Sheena Asan also won the golds in taekwondo.

Laguna also struck in chess with wins by Christian Nanola (14-under) and Michelle Concio (14-under) while the host province also captured two gold medals behind Jhonnel Balquin (Open) and Sittie Sabo (20-under).

The other two chess wins went to Negros Oriental’s Rayelynn Posadas (open) and Junaico Segismar (20-under).

Lennon Hart Salgados of Cagayan de Oro settled for the bronze.

Iloilo Province made its presence felt in arnis, raking in 21 golds that included a triple gold haul by Mike Banquiran, Jesus Valenzuela and Ryan Robles in the single weapon, double identical weapon and espada y daga categories of juniors anyo team event.

In table tennis, Misamis Oriental leaned on Janine Dy (14-under) and Xyjan Ramos (20-under) while Cagayan de Oro relied on Gloen Abales (17-under and 20-under) to cop four of the six golds staked in the meet backed by Globe, Pagcor, Philippine Sports Commission, AMA Computer University, Summit Natural Drinking Water, Accel, Negros Navigation, The Philippine STAR and Creativity Lounge.

Over at the Camp Evangelista grounds, Cebu City, the Palarong Pambansa football gold medalist, dominated soccer by sweeping the Under-15 and Under-17 divisions.