MANILA, Philippines -- Centerpiece athletics will generate the most interest when a group of Fil-Ams headed by Southeast Asian Games gold medal winner Eric Cray test the local's mettle in the PSC Phl National Games at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City on Saturday.
Fresh from winning the 400-meter hurdles gold in Myanmar last year, Cray, 25, will be looking at breaking the national record in the 100-meter dash that Ralph Waldy Soquilon set with a time of 10.45 seconds seven years ago and will run with Henry Dagmil, Noli Torres and Archand Bagsit in the 4x100m and likewise eclipse the mark there.
Princess Joy Griffey of Washington, Donovant Grant Ariola of El Paso, Texas and Tyler Ruiz of Los Angeles will also try to make a good impression in the six-day track and field event that will be used as one of the many bases in the selection of the national team pool.
Griffey, daughter of former national junior sprinter Leah Nolido, is running in the 100m and 200m dash and should be unchallenged in the sprint events as she holds best times of 11.58 and 23.93, which are the second fastest time by any Filipina next only to former Asian sprint queen Lydia de Vega-Mercado's 11.28 and 23.35.
Ariola, for his part, will challenge three-time SEAG long jump gold medallist Henry Dagmil after boasting of best jumps of 7.53m last year and 7.30 this year. His 7.53m is good enough to win a bronze in the SEAG.
Before he acquired his dual citizenship, high jumper Ruiz lept 2.17m, which would have matched Sean Guevarra's long-standing national record of 2.17m.
"Athletics will be one of many sports events here in the PNG that are interesting to watch," said PNG organizing chief, Phl sports commissioner Jolly Gomez.
Aside from the Fil-Ams, Malaysia and Singapore are also fielding a crack team that included Singaporean Jamal Amirudin, the 100m SEAG bronze medallist and Fil-Malaysian Eddie Edwards, who represented Sabah, Malaysia in winning century dash golds in the 2011 and 2013 PNG editions.
Some newbies are also trying their luck for national team inclusion, including a promising talent in San Sebastian's Jomar Udtohan, who obliterated six records in winning five golds including a rare sprint treble in last week's Palarong Pambansa in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
It will be an action-packed Monday as arnis, baseball, 3x3 basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, judo, karatedo, pencak silat, rugby, sepak takraw, shooting, underwater hockey, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling are to unfurl.
Other events in the PNG calendar are archery, badminton, beach volley, bowling, bridge, canoe-kayak, dragonboat, cheerdance, dancesports, diving, fencing, football, futsal, golf, gymnastics, karatedo, motocross, muay thai, powerlifting, sailing, soft tennis, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, windsurfing and wushu.
There will also be events for the differently-abled athletes in this 10-day event bankrolled by the PSC and backed by Summit Natural Drinking Water, Bala Energy Drink, Standard Insurance and SM Marikina.