BOOSTED by a golden harvest in the centerpiece discipline of athletics, Western Visayas emerged as the second-best region as the curtains fell on the 63rd Palarong Pambansa last Saturday at the Marikina Sports Center.
Even the team’s top official was surprised but pleased no end with their athletes’ performance in the Games that made a comeback after three years due to the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ang goal namin ay kahit iyong same place, lang kasi in the past years before the pandemic talagang No. 3 ang Region VI,” Western Visayas regional sports officer Donald Genine told Malaya-Business Insight. “Iyon lang ang hiningi namin, ma-maintain lang sana iyon kasi alam namin na ang NCR, mahirap i-dethrone. The best athletes are there. Same with Calabarzon, talagang magagaling din sila.
“Settled na kami na kahit ma-maintain namin iyong No. 3 overall. We were really surprised na puwede pala kaming mag-second overall,” he added.
Western Visayas totaled 60 mints, with 24 coming from athletics, 45 silver, and 44 bronze medals for second overall, its highest finish since 2013 in Dumaguete where it wound up also as a bridesmaid.
The Big City bets ruled the Palaro anew for the 16th straight time with 85 golds, 74 silvers, and 55 bronzes.
Perennial contender Calabarzon dropped to third overall with a 52-52-57 haul.
Cebu City will host next year’s Palaro, while Ilocos Norte was awarded the hosting rights in 2025.
Foremost among the Negrenses who shone were Krisha Aguillon, Mico Villaran, Airex Gabriel Villanueva, and John Mark Pagdato.
Villaran, of Bacolod City, copped four golds and one silver in the secondary boys division. He ruled the 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, and 200-meter run, and helped Reezy John de Asis, Kent Paul Burdan, and Earl Kieth Servano reign in the 4×100-meter relay.
Villanueva took home two golds and set a new record of 42.86-meter in the secondary boys’ discus throw to break the previous mark of 42.67-meter set by Central Luzon’s Ed Deliña in 2018 in Vigan and also showed the way in the shot put event.
Aguillon stamped her class by winning it all in the secondary girls 100-meter and 200-meter events.
“We attribute our strong second place-finish to all our athletes who have been ready for the Palaro the past few months. Our coaches were very determined and were very excited on the comeback of the Palaro after a three-year hiatus,” Genine said. “It’s the same with our athletes. They’ve done their best and even went out their way to be ready.
“On our part, ibinigay naming ang lahay ng suporta na kaya naming, kung ano needs nila and whatever support the region can give, we gave them. Our athletes were not just supported by the DepEd but also by the LGUs. Iyon ang isa sa nagbigay sa kanila ng motivation na ibigay nila ang best nila kasi they felt and saw the support of all our stakeholders in Region VI.”
Pagdato carried the fight for Western Visayas in the elementary level with four golds, winning the boys 200-meter and 400-meter runs and was part of the 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter gold winning teams in relays.
Bannered by Bacolod Tay Tung High School, Western Visayas knocked the crown off the head of the NCR in the secondary girls’ volleyball tournament after hacking out a heart-stopping 18-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-16, 18-16 decision.
“From what I can recall, we started plannings and meetings for the Palaro last December,” Genine said.
“Pero sa pagkakaalam namin iyong mga batang interesado talaga sa sports nila hindi nag-stop. They really went out of their way para makapag-ensayo, may Palaro man o wala.”
