Leyte pugs claim 3 golds; Iloilo reigns in taekwondo

MANILA, Philippines - Leyte Sports Academy ruled three categories in boxing even as Iloilo dominated taekwondo in the penultimate day of the Batang Pinoy Visayas leg in Romblon yesterday.

Milenino Anduyan, gold medalist in the recent Palarong Pambansa in Tagum, Davao del Norte, crushed Lloyd Jabez Antoque of Tagbilaran, Bohol, 3-0, to bag the 48kg pinweight gold, his third after his exploits in 2012 in Bacolod and in Aklan last year.

Ramil Pingol took the 42kg light paperweight gold and Carl Lester Oledan dominated the 44kg paperweight finals while Carl Lester brother, Christian Brandon Oledan added a silver by placing second to Greg Pableo Jr. of Escalante City in 36-40 kg. mosquito division.

Anduyan, the 15-year-old son of a machine operator and 10th grade student at the Leyte Sports Academy, dominated Antoque all throughout to earn the nod of the three judges and claim the win before a jampacked crowd that included Mayor Gerald Montojo and POC official Romeo Magat.

Montojo and Magat awarded the medals to the top three finishers in the nine-division boxing card, which featured 30 boxers from 11 teams supervised by Alliance Boxing Association of the Philippines.

“I’m confident he’d win because he’s good and has lots of experience in Batang Pinoy and Palarong Pambansa,” said coach and former national boxer Nelson Factoranan.

Escalante and Sipalay, two cities from Negros Occidental, got two gold medals each while Bohol and Iloilo took home one gold apiece.

Sipalay winners were Lorenz John Torela (28-30kg. vacuum) and Charlie Calago (32kg) while Escalante leaned on Robert Agupasa (34kg kid minimum) and Greg Pableo Jr. (34-40 kg.) mosquito.