Cagayan, Western Visayas bets rip marks as Palaro blasts off

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Philippines – Cagayan Valley’s Julian Reem Fuentes and Western Visayas Richee Joy Cabanyog, Dexter Galos and Evalyn Palabrica won the gold medals that eluded them last year as action got under way yesterday in the Palarong Pambansa at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center here.

Among the four early winners, however, Fuentes and Cabanyog stood out as they highlighted their victories in secondary boy’s long jump and shot put, respectively, with record-breaking marks on a hot, humid day.

Fuentes, 17, dominated the long jump in 7.26 meters, besting Ilocos’ Jhun Magtibay’s 6.45m and Western Visayas’ Rowel Alarcon’s 6.41m while erasing the decade-long 7.15m mark set by Southern Tagalog’s Paulo Martinez in Naga.

“Masaya ako (I’m happy),” said Fuentes, whose father Rogelio is an OFW in Qatar, when asked of his impressive performance.

For his part, Cabanyog, a Sagay City native who recently graduated at Romanito Maravilla National High School in Bacolod, made a 13.90m throw, a full meter ahead of Central Luzon’s Bryan Jay Pacheco’s 12.90m and the National Capital Region’s Garry Santiago’s 12.88m to eclipse the 13.68m record by provincemate Ralph Efraem Gesulgon in Dapitan last year.

Interestingly, Gesulgon used an iron ball that weighed six kilograms on his way to the gold a year ago while Cabanyog threw a 7-kg ball, now the standard weight set by the international athletics association. 

The standing record for a 7.26kg ball was set by Western Mindanao’s Arthur Enon 22 years ago in San Fernando, Pampanga.

“Ang sarap ng pakiramdam na manalo din sa wakas. Last year kasi akala ko panalo na ako (It’s a nice feeling to finally win because last year I thought I was going to win),” said Cabanyog, who also won the long jump gold in the elementary level four years ago in Tacloban.

Meanwhile, barefoot runner Dexter Galos of Western Visayas, another silver medalist last year, won the meet’s first gold – in the secondary boys 5,000m run at sunrise – edging Cordillera Administrative Region’s Arnold Gallap in a race decided by just fractions of a second.

Galos and Gallap both reached the finish line in 16 minutes, 1.2 seconds but the former edged the latter by three-hundredths of a second to snatch the gold.

Aldrin Agang of Central Visayas wound up with the bronze in 16.11.7.

Another silver medal finisher in Dapitan also won in this clean and green town. Palabrica, a 17-year-old lass from Guipis, Iloilo, heaved the javelin over 39.61m to nail the secondary girls javelin gold, besting Caraga region’s Rinalyn Apos (36.90) and Mimaropa’s Jenelyn Arle (35.68).

Meanwhile, President Aquino graces the formal opening of the event, which will have as highlights the traditional parade of all participating 17 regions and the lighting of the urn.

In secondary boys volleyball, the Big City bets smashed Central Luzon, 25-22, 25-23, to set in motion its title bid while Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao walloped Eastern Visayas, 25-13, 25-21.

Over at the Pangasinan State U grounds, Calabarzon routed Caraga, 5-0, to open its campaign in football.

In elementary basketball, Davao thumped ARMM, 76-53, Bicol edged Central Luzon, 91-89, and traditional powerhouse Western Visayas clobbered Cordillera Administrative Region, 68-51.