The Davao City track and field association members are lucky to have sportsman Guillermo “Willie” Torres Jr. as executive vice president of the Philippine Track and Field Association (Patafa).
Why?
Because Dr.Torres is the president of the University of Mindanao and their Matina campus has a world-class rubberized track oval.
Boss Willie was very proud to tell me one time about their newly-built oval and said he has hired the services of track specialist coach for the university athletes.
We regularly cover events at their Matina campus during the Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa) competitions and during those years, wala pay rubberized oval. As in, if ma ulahi ka sa 100-meter dash event, maka kaon ka gyud ug abog gikan ni Harrish Ratag, UM’s top sprinter at that time.
Before UM sports director Joaquin Pereyras Sarabia retired, he gave me a personal tour of the oval. Upon stepping on the oval, it reminds of the first time I set foot on a rubberized track oval. This was at the Teacher’s Camp in Baguio City. The athletic oval at that time was the training site of the President Ferdinand E. Marcos-approved “Gintong Alay” sports program headed by Michael M. Keon.
My old man, Marcial, sent me to Baguio City to attend a youth camp, the S.E.P. Camp, that was attended by hundreds of young campers from different cities and towns at that time. So, that explains why I was there.
Back to the UM track oval.
So, the Patafa performance trials were also conducted there including a technical officiating refresher’s course. I heard that Bobet Castillo, Dr.Torres’ long-time lieutenant, and coach David Dwight Penano were also instrumental in the hosting of the event.
After these two events, UM will host the 2023 Araw ng Dabaw Athletics Festival on March 18 to 19.
This leads me to ask why not hold the events at the Davao City Sports Complex in UP-Mindanao.
We just got lucky that Dr.Torres is an official of Patafa and the holding of the events at a privately-owned facility has become easy.
If Dr.Torres is not a Patafa official and sportsman, Davao City track and field athletes will have no choice but to request the use of the Davao City-University of the Philippines Sports Complex.
The only downside of going to the DC-UP Min sports complex is the distance. Mo mahal ang pamasahe sa mga athletes and officials padulong didto. If you have P24 in your pocket, puwede na maka about sa UM Matina and if the coach will treat you to snacks after the training, solves ang tiyan!
After the building of the DC-UP Min sports complex, I have not heard of local NSA heads regularly using the publicly-owned facility. Layo lagi daw. But I don’t think that would be a problem. We have the Davao City Sports Development Division (dxUM broadcaster Dennis “Mr.Sports Complex” Lazo has been asking if this office is still existing) that can find a remedy for this. All they have to do is closely coordinate with the Davao City Track and Field Association officials for future use of the track oval there and make it as an official training site of our Davao City athletes. Kung dili na gamiton, madaot ra gyud na, sayang lang mag paningkamot ni Congressman Isidro Ungab ani.
I remember the lovely Wowie Huang (now Mrs.Teves) when she was the head of the Davao City Tourism Office, there were buses outside of City Hall. Those buses turned out to be used for free for those who would like a tour of the Davao City tourists sites. Nindot di ba? Sakay lang ka, maka suroy ka sa mga tourist spots sa siyudad. Good job Wowie, belated congratulations ni, pero congrats!
This kind of set up can also be done by the Sports Development Division. Siyaro walay mga dagkong sakyanan ang siyudad sa Dabaw. Now that the DC-UP Min sports facility is available, you can provide the transportation needs so that it can be used by our athletes, instead of going to a privately-owned facility.
Unsaon pag buhi sa sports dihang dapita if nothing is done?
This can be done Mikey Aportadera, officer-in-charge of the Sports Development Division. Dennis “Mr.Sports Complex” Lazo would like to hear your plans for sports development, or else he will keep asking over dxUM’s Radyo Ukay and Kataladi DRL Facebook Live if your office is still existing or not, or has Mayor Baste Duterte abolished it already.
Sin o man ga advise nimo Toto Mikey?
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