Kalilangan Festival in full blast

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the 34th celebration of the week-long Kalilangan Festival reeled off in General Santos City last Monday and will end in closing ceremonies tomorrow. The annual Festival commemorates the founding of the city and features cultural shows, an agro-industrial fair, sports competitions and a beauty pageant. General Santos City traces its settlement roots to Feb. 27, 1939 when Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon dispatched Gen. Paulino Santos to head a group of 62 agricultural and trade graduates in establishing a new frontier. Kalilangan comes from the word “kalilang” which means celebration or commemoration in the Maguindanaon dialect. The Kalilangan Festival is to General Santos City what the Sinulog Festival is to Cebu, the Kadayawan Festival is to Davao and the Dinagyang Festival is to Iloilo.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao is at the forefront of the sports component of this year’s Kalilangan Festival. The MPBL, which is Pacquiao’s brainchild, launched its preseason competition with eight teams at the Lagao Gym in the city last Tuesday. A P3 million cash prize awaits the winner of the championship game tomorrow. The tournament is a teaser for MPBL’s fifth season which opens on March 10 with 30 teams. No team will go home without a prize. The second placer will receive P500,000 and the third placer, P300,000. The fourth placer will earn P200,000 and the four other teams, P100,000 each.

The MPBL will take a break today and make way for a 14-fight card in the third edition of Pacquiao’s Blow By Blow at the Lagao Gym. The action is shown on OneSports TV every Sunday from 8:30 to 10 p.m.  Headlining the show is the main event between Presco Carcosia of SanMan and Arnel Baconaje of Elorde in a 10-rounder for the vacant Philippine Boxing Federation superfeatherweight title. The protagonists are known by their nom de guerre – Iceman for Carcosia and Silencer for Baconaje. Carcosia, 26, has a 10-2-1 record, with nine KOs and his two losses were to Australia’s Jai Alexander in Melbourne and Japan’s Musashi Mori in Ota City, both on points. Baconaje, 29, packs a 15-6 record, with 11 KOs. He has fought in two 12-rounders and four tenners so his experience is a big advantage. Baconaje’s resume includes outings in Russia, China, Japan and Vietnam.

Two other tenners are on tap. Jerven Mama of SanMan takes on Ruben Dadivas of MP Davao in a flyweight contest while Judy Flores of SanMan battles Jonathan Taconing of Elorde in a superflyweight tussle. Taconing, 36, is a grizzled warrior who lost in bids for the WBO and WBA lightflyweight crowns. The southpaw from Zamboanga del Norte has a record of 29-6-1, with 22 KOs. Flores, 24, is making his 10-round debut and enters the ring with a record of 11-1, including seven KOs. His only defeat was to world-ranked Antonio Nieves, who lost to Naoya Inoue in a WBO superflyweight title bout in 2017.

Pacquiao’s mission is to discover Filipino boxing prospects following in his footsteps and Blow By Blow is his platform to showcase young talents. In today’s card, there will be four four-rounders, five six-rounders and two eight-rounders to back up three 10-rounders so the stage is set to unveil future champions.