by Moses Billacura
Congratulations to Medvil Farms Football Club for winning the Acer Under-23 football crown after defeating Columbia Computer FC in the final.
Kudos also to the stars of the tournament: Ferdinand Jerome Balaga was voted most valuable player while Medvil teammate Ruelfred Napuran emerged as best goalkeeper. Columbia’s Nestor Bantilan bagged the best defender award and Edwin Giganto won the best midfielder trophy
Other results were: Hooligans FC disappointed the Columbia Computer booters again during the recent Kadayawan football tournament in the 1st Division. Seagull FC of Guihing landed in third.
Datu Ibrahim FC-Unifrutti Cotabato City took the 2nd Division crown at the expense of Central Mindanao University while the Davao City National High Batch 95 settled for third place. The Lady Knights, on the other hand, ruled the women’s division by beating D’ Davao Survivors while Medvil FC was third
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The Davao eliminations in the Champions League (basketball) is on September 19 to 20, 26 to 27 at the Holy Cross of Davao College gym.
Jose Maria College, Agro Foundation College, Ateneo de Davao University, Rizal Memorial Colleges, University of Mindanao and host Holy Cross are vying for a slot in the regional finals on October 6 to 8 against the champions from Gen. Santos, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga cities.
The regional winner will advance to the Zonal finals in Cebu by the first week of November. Here’s wishing they can barge into the Sweet 16 of the national finals on November 16 in Manila.
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Sports for Peace chairman William “Butch” Ramirez was the special guest of the 58th UM Intramural opening ceremony last September 3 at the jampacked UM gym in Matina.
Ramirez, the former Philippine Sports Commission chairman, told the hundreds of student athletes that sacrifice is a key to success.
UM, then known as Mindanao Colleges, has set up a sound sports program and no wonder its athletes have been reaping honors for the university. The late UM founder, Atty. Guillermo “Bering” Torres, did a lot to propel the university to greater heights, especially in the field of sports. He had able lieutenants at the time, like Edipolo V. Sarabia and Saturnino “Ondo” Petalcorin, two respected gentlemen who had a passion for sports.
UM athletes also carried Davao City’s colors to numerous National Games and during Ramirez’s watch, when he was the Davao City sports czar during the 3rd term of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. When Ramirez joined the national sports agency as regional coordinator, commissioner, finally as chairman of the PSC, UM president Willie Torres (WT) has not wavered in his support of Ramirez by sending delegations to PSC-organized events like the Mindanao Friendship Games, a sports for peace program aimed at unifying Lumads, Muslims and Christians in Mindanao
WT then introduced his son, Paolo, to chairman Ramirez. The latter started off by talking as a teacher and a coach again.
Paolo was an eager listener, a trait he showes each time he gets a chance to talk to Ramirez, an esteemed sports leader who overcame poverty by not quitting school and because of that Ramirez, little by little, rose from the ranks to become the No. 1 sports official in the land
Someday, Paolo will take over as be UM’s No. 1 man, and Ramirez, who now teaches at the St. Francis Xavier Seminary School, will be the man to be sought after for advice, especially in strengthening UM’s sports program.
I don’t mean to intrude into Paolo’s life, but he take a closer look at UM sports program and he can do a lot to improve it and someday UM, with all its resources, will put Davao City and Mindanao on the national and even international sports maps.
It is time to start.
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Belated happy birthday greetings to Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines-Davao City chapter president, Councilor Edgar Ramos Ibuyan.
