by Moses Billacura
Happy birthday to James A. Zimmerman!
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Focus is now on boxer Charlie Suarez of Panabo City, Davao del Norte who is preparing for the 2012 London Olympics.
British firm G4S, the world’s leading international security solutions group, has included the Davao fighter in its list of outstanding athletes whom it will be support in preparation for the next Olympics.
Gene Rose Tecson, executive director of the Brgy. Una boxing program established by former congressman Tony Boy Floirendo, said she is very proud of the development and hopes that their product will do good in his training.
And if Suarez stays focused, G4S will surely secure him well and hopes will be high for a medal win in the Olympics.
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Former Manila congressman and now Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping has set his eyes on Davao City as host of the 7th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games on November 30 to December 3.
Davao Sports Council Inc. president and Davao City councilor Peter Lavina represented Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in a meeting last March 20 at the Waterfront Insular Hotel. After the meeting he filed a report to the mayor, copy furnished vice mayor Sara Duterte and the mayor’s chief of staff, Patmei Ruivivar.
Lavina said the PSC will act as the national organizing committee with the local government unit and the newly-formed Mindanao Development Authority as coordinators.
The BIMP-EAGA Games, held for the first time in Gen. Santos City in 1996, is held every two years to renew friendly ties among EAGA partners through sports.
The PSC will coordinate with the Davao Sports Council Inc. in the handling of athletics (marathon, 26K, 10K, 5K and 3K Run), badminton (men and women), chess (men and women), karatedo/kata (men and women), pencak silat (men), sepak takraw (men), table tennis (men and women) and golf (VIP).
We welcome this development because the holding of sports events in Davao City means revenue for our hotels, restaurants, among others.
Angping must secure this early the funds intended for the BIMP-EAGA Games.
You see, normally after elections, when there is a new president, a new PSC chairman will also be appointed.
I fear that there might be a lot of changes in the process that will affect the BIMP-EAGA Games’s preparations.
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Angping, the former Manila congressman and softball president, I am sure knows this will happen or maybe he just doesn’t think it will happen that way.
I don’t want to sound too pessimistic, but you see Angping is the very person who stopped the operations of the PSC Mindanao office based in Davao City which was responsible for coordinating with all local government units on the island region and the key cities and provinces of the BIMP-EAGA region in the field of sports.
Angping is the former softball president who I never saw in Davao City to check on his regional director and take a close look at amateur softball development in the region.
No, I don’t mean that I don’t like the former Manila congressman. It’s just that I am surprised by the move of the PSC to bring BIMP-EAGA Games to Davao City.
And why is there a Ms. BIMP EAGA contest, chairman Angping?
Can’t you see that Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei are Muslim countries?
Since the inaugural event in 1996, beauty and brain contests was never part of the Games because the previous PSC chairmen knew that this is a show of disrespect for Muslim women.
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Happy birthday also to Angie Salubre Mejorada, friendly Kim’s better half.
