The second leg of Philippine Surfing Championship Tour officially opened on November 5, 2017 at the surfing gateway of the Philippines- Lanuza, Surigao del Sur. and was graced by the presence of government officials and sponsors who showed their full support to one of the longest running surfing competitions in the country.
For the past 15th years, the Lanuza Surfing Festival has become a forefront in promoting the municipality of Lanuza, Surigao Del Sur as one of the top surfing destinations in the Philippines. A record breaking 160 surfers from La Union, Zambales, Pampanga, Baler, Laguna, Catanduanes, Cabugao, Cebu, Siargao, and Davao registered for this event. In addition to the Men’s Open Shortboard category, which was the lone division during the first leg held in Siargao, this PSCT-leg will also highlight the Grommets (16 year old and under), Men’s Open Longboard, and the Women’s Longboard and Shortboard categories.
Lanuza Municipal Mayor Salvacion Azarcon pointed out in her speech that the Lanuza Surfing Festival has gained national media recognition and she’s grateful for hosting the second leg of Philippine Surfing Championship Tour. Mayor Azarcon also said the she will continue to promote the province of Lanuza as one of the key surfing destinations in the Philippines.
Lanuza is a one-and-a-half hour plane ride from Manila and a three-hour bus ride from Surigao City. Lanuza’s iconic long right-hander waves at Doot Poktoy’s river mouth will be the arena for Filipino surf athletes who are vying to take the top spot and earn points for the national surf rankings. With a whopping prize purse of PHP 570,000, this year’s Lanuza Surfing Festival is definitely the biggest in history.
GROMMETS AND WOMEN’S LONGBOARD DIVISIONS
The first day of the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PSCT) Leg 2, the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival, got off to an exciting waist to shoulder high waves at Doot Poktoy river mouth with the Grommets and Women’s Longboard Open divisions, kicking off the start of competition.
Crowd favorite 8-year-old Kaikai Alcala, the youngest competitor, was able to advance to the Quarter Finals, dominating his Round 1 heat against grom surfers twice his size. “I’m so happy and proud of Kaikai. We saw his improvement since the first leg,” said Kaikai’s mother Manette Alcala with confidence. “It was cold! I’m happy to be out there with my friends. We just enjoyed our surf session,” Kaikai said.
14-year-old Gabriel Lerog from Siargao Island posted the highest wave score during the first round of the Grommets division with a 9.90, showing his dominance against other groms. The spectators were ecstatic during the Groms Quarter-finals when four of the best young surf athletes battled out to advance to the Semi-finals.
Ivan Nogalo, nephew and trainee of Siargao surf legend Carlito Nogalo, put up an amazing performance against his fellow Siargaonon competitors. “I’m happy because I made it to the Semi- Finals”, said Nogalo with a huge smile on his face.
Another promising Siargao grom Benjomar Canon heats up and showed everyone that he can compete in tough conditions with occasional wind and intermittent swell. Canon took the second spot during the second heat of the Quarter-finals, the best grom surf battle in the contest we’ve seen so far.
In the women’s Longboard division, La Union pride Daisy Valdez took the top spot as she claimed every set wave that came right through her path. Valdez, who posted an 11.25 score during her Quarter-finals heat, exemplified her dominance and vast surfing experience in the Doot Poktoy surf arena.
A multi-awarded surf athlete and mother of two, Daisy has been competing in Lanuza for almost a decade. She’s the undisputed and reigning Women’s Longboard champion, dominating every national surfing competition in this municipality.
Local wahine Debie Gumanoy immediately gained home-court advantage as she’s been surfing Doot Poktoy since her grommet years, knowing t by heart, enabling her to catch quality waves at her home break.
Meanwhile, the stylish wahine longboarders of Siargao Island Maricel Pajares, Aping Agudo, and Ikit Agudo showcased their classic style and were able to slide and glide to the Semi-finals. “I was so nervous during my heat because this is my first time to compete in a professional level.” said Maricel.
Watch out for the story next week as we continue reliving the action of the 15th Lanuza Surfing Festival and the places you need to see while you’re here. Don’t forget to drop by www.millennialmermaid.com for more stories!
