Belmonte Champs for Joy launched

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte launched recently the second Champs for Joy summer swimming program in partnership with the Diliman Preparatory School and the Philippine Swimming League.

Belmonte said the next phase of the program which started last year is the development of swimmers into elite swimmers through training and participation in national and international age group competitions.

“We want to give them good stroke techniques and strengthen them through training and proper nutrition,” said Belmonte in her meeting with DPS president and former Sen. Nikki Coseteng and PSL president Susan Papa.

Belmonte said she wanted to give important life skills to swimmers in the face of recent calamities where drowning became the immediate causes of deaths.

Coseteng added that values formation will be an integral part of the young swimmers’ training.

“We want them to be disciplined, value teamwork, help them to set their own goals, and develop their well-being. In life we want them to be good citizens, be of help to the community especially in saving not just their own lives but those of others in times of disasters,” said Coseteng.

She said QC Mayor Herbert Bautista gave an award to DPS varsity swimmer Ralph Kevin Claveria, who saved lives during the Ondoy tragedy.

The QC swimmers will be trained at the DPS Swimming Center under technical director Edgardo Galeno.