NCR, Cotabato tankers post record feats

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – A pair of swimmers took the spotlight with record-breaking performances while an unheralded runner erased a 12-year-old mark on a day defending champion National Capital Region and Calabarzon dominated the pool in the Palarong Pambansa at the Leyte Sports Development Center here.

Johansen Aguilar, 17, powered the Big City bets to seven gold medals by ruling the 100-meter backstroke in one minute and 1.10 seconds, eclipsing the 1:02.26 meet mark set by Calabarzon’s Banjo Borja in Puerto Princesa, Palawan last year.

Cotabato’s Omar Philip Dacera turned in a more impressive feat, ruling the 200m freestyle in 2:09.33 that shattered the 2:11.00 record put in by NCR’s Gian Daniel Berino in the 2007 Koronadal edition of the annual event. He actually bettered the old mark right in the morning heats with 2:10.34.

Not to be outdone, Mervin Guarte, an obscure 16-year-old runner from Mimaropa, clocked 1:55.6 in the 800-m run qualifiers to smash the mark of one minute and 57 seconds set by Calabarzon’s Rene Boy Tanuan in the 1997 Naga games.

The record feats came just a day after Jesibel Montibon of Western Visayas wiped out the 13-year-old elementary 800m record of 2:25.0 by Jovel Ambagon of Southern Tagalog in Koronadal with a 2:23.96 clocking.

Calabarzon’s Delia Angela Cordero, meanwhile, became the event’s first triple gold medal winner as she swept the 400m free and 200m butterfly and the 200m medley event with teammates Marian Faye Rosales, Erika Louise Visitacion and Ma. Claire Adorna.

Aguilar’s victory in the 100-m back thus propelled NCR, which ran away with the overall championships in both elementary and high school last year, to seven gold medals, including four in high school and three in grade school.

A high school graduate at a Christian School in Fort Bonifacio, the six-time Palaro campaigner and 2008 quadruple gold medalist led the team of Gabriel Castelo, Sean Paul Tan and Johnmar Gonzales to the 200m medley gold with the rest delivered by Gian Daniel Berino (400m freestyle) and Kezia Sarmiento (100m backstroke).

Accounting for the elementary gold medals were Anna Dominiq Bartolome (100m back), Rafael Sta. Maria (50m fly) and the boys’ 200m medley team of Juan Carlo Miguel Reyes, Cyril James Atacador, Rydell Justin Ayroso and Jan Jeric Santos.

“My goal is to win four gold medals. If I can break another record, why not,” said the lanky Aguilar.

Dacera sets a bigger target of six golds.

“I will compete in five more events,” said Dacera, who will see action in today’s 100m freestyle, tomorrow’s 400m free and Friday’s 4x50m and 4x100m relay.

Calabarzon also racked up seven swimming gold medals, including four in the elementary level courtesy of Catherine Bondad (200m free), Christen Mercado (100m back), Ma. Areza Lipat (50m butterfly) and its girls’ 200m medley squad of Lipat, Ana Nicole Tan, Gia Nicole Balabag and Ariana Herranz.

In football, NCR blanked Cagayan Valley, 14-0, with the Big City bets also making its presence felt in girls’ volleyball with victories over Bicol, 25-6, 25-18 and host Eastern Visayas, 25-21, 25-16.

Diana Ba delivered the first athletics gold to Davao as she topped the secondary triple jump with 11.38 meters, besting NCR’s Avegail Marie Dizon (11.18m) and Northern Mindanao’s Regine Ganiolon (10.91m).

Cordillera Administrative Region’s Marie Felice Ellaga ruled secondary high jump with 1.60m with NCR’s Diane Camacho (1.50m) and Western Visayas’ Ricagene Quezon (1.45).

Calabarzon’s John Paulo Perillo topped the secondary discus throw with 34.14m while teammate Oscar Pasia Jr. and Central Visayas’ Jasper Lance Pasister took the silver and bronze in 33.48m and 29.57m, respectively.