SEAG medalists receive POC incentives on Olympic Day

A FESTIVE yet solemn celebration of the Olympic Day was held Friday at the University of the Philippines Track and Field Oval with more than 70 national athletes who won medals at the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games ceremonially receiving their cash bonuses from the Philippine Olympic Committee.

The POC incentives were drawn from the support of the Manuel V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation to the POC Trust Fund initiated by its president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

“The POC is so grateful with Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan for his continuous generosity to help our athletes o excel in their respective sports through the years,” Tolentino said. “The athletes are very thankful and they promise us to do their best in future competitions.”

A total of 260 medalists in Cambodia will receive the cash bonuses start- ing next week until the end of the month at the POC offices inside the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City.

MVPSF executive director Jude Turcuato formally turned over the check for the bonuses to Caballero and POC deputy secretary-general for international affairs Bones Floro after the ceremonial Olympic Day walkand-run and Zumba presentation by members of the Special Olympics Philippines.

“It’s a good fit for us because the MVPSF was built for the athletes to win

Forest Hills-PGAP Pro-Am set next month

I NSPIRED by the staging of the ongoing Forest Hills Classic, Forest Hills G olf and Country Club is a hosting a two-day Pro-Am tournament in July.

Club chairman Robert Sobrepeña made the announcement on Thursday, stating that the event would be in partnership with the Professional Golfers Association of the Philippines.

“We are happy the with turnout of the current Forest Hills Classic and we would like to continue to help the pros in any way we can. The collaboration with PGAP is new and exciting and look forward to the Pro-Am,” Sobrepena said.

The PGAP is actually an old organization having started in 1966 with golf great Bantam Ben Arda on the lead. It has a membership of more than 1,000, including touring and teaching pros plus seniors, nationwide.

“I’m glad that Mr. Sobrepeña and Mr. Raymond Bunquin, Forest Hills general manager, is assisting us in our program of conducting more tournaments for our members,” said PGAP president Jhonel Bulawit. Bulawit, who assumed in March this year, also said: “From 2006 to 2022, we’ve only had a tournament only once a year. My mission is to clean the ranks and do more action for the members.” medals for the country,” Turcuato said. “We are celebrating now the Olympic Day and it’s a good timing. We want to thank our athletes as well for giving their best.”

Individual gold medalists will get P100,000 each, silver medalists P50,000 and bronze medalists will earn P25,000, according to POC deputy secretary-general Karen Tanchancho-Caballero. Medlists in team sports are also entitled to the bonuses.

Former long jump queen Elma Muros-Posadas, 1992 Olympics taekwondo bronze medalist Stephen Fernandez and 1992 Olympics boxing bronze medalist Roel Velasco joined the celebration along with UP College of Human Kinetics Dean Francis Carlos “Kiko” Diaz.

Olympic Day is held annually by national Olympic committees to celebrate the founding of the International Olympic Committee by Baron Pierre de Coubertin on June 23, 1894.

JOHNNY Arcilla and Jose Maria Pague try to pick up the pieces of a shattered campaign in last week’s Malita Open as they headline the stellar field anew in the Lanao del Norte National Open Tennis Championships which reels off Saturday at the MCC courts in Tubod.

The top two seeds fell in complete surprise in Davao Occidental’s premier tournament as unranked John Bryan Otico stunned the No. 1 Arcilla, 6-2, 6-4, in the semis then repelled Otico, 6-4, 6-3, to snatch the men’s singles Open crown worth P80,000.

But the 24-year-old stalwart of Loyola Marymount U in Los Angeles won’t be seeing action this time, leaving Arcilla and Pague as the marked players again in the battle for the top P50,000 prize in the week-long championship sponsored by Gov. Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo.

The event, which also features the men’s and women’s Open doubles, the Legends men’s doubles (30s, 40s, 50s and 60s) and the national agegroup for boys and girls, is held in line with the host city’s 64th founding anniversary.

Also on tap are competitions in basketball, volleyball, football, cycling with tennis serving as the highlight of the 10day festivities, according to Provincial Sports coordinator Nelson Lasola.

Joining Arcilla and Pague in the hunt are Vicente Anasta, Eric Olivarez, Joshua Kinaadman, Eric Tangub, Noel Salupado, Christian Lopez, Brent Cortes, John Alejandre, Mcleen Gomera, John Sonsona, Dice Gaspar, Heinz Carbonilla, Ibarra Ortega and Nash Agustines.