BACOLOD. – Navy cadette Carlo Mae Ongayo will have a pretty dilemma when she competes in the Philippine ROTC Games national finals in Indang, Cavite in August.
As the third-placer in the Ms. Philippine ROTC Games Visayas leg, not only will the comely student prepare for the pageant but she also needs to train hard for her true “love” after ruling the women’s long jump at the Panaad Park and Sports Complex track oval Tuesday.
Small but as dynamic as former Asian women’s long jump queen Marestella Torres-Sunang, Ongayo secured the gold on her second try, jumping to 4.28 meters early in the morning for a spot in her pet event in the national finals.
Sharing the spotlight was prolific Navy cadet swimmer Marvic Iguidez, who had a perfect sweep of his five individual events, adding the men’s 100 and 200-meter backstroke mints in the meet supported by the Commission on Higher Education and Department of National Defense.
The John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University marine engineering student copped the men’s 100 back in 1:12.33 before capping his memorable outing by clocking 2:42.55 in the 200 backstroke.
“Masaya akong nanalo kasi ito talaga ang event ko,” said Ongayo, 20, a BS Criminology freshman student at Siquijor State College, who saw action in the 2019 Palarong Pambansa in Davao City and finished in the top eight of the high school division of the girls’ long jump.
“Talagang masaya kasi matagal ding hindi nakapaglaro dahil sa pandemic,” added Ongayo, who has a personal best of five meters flat in the long jump.
“Ongayo’s success shows the well-rounded vision of the ROTC Games is working. They have beauty, brains, brawns and skills. They have everything,” noted Sen. Francis Tolentino, who fired the starting gun in some of the track events.
“Hard work lang po talaga at tunay na masaya ako na makakauwi ng limang ginto,” said Iguidez, who rushed back to Iloilo after the awarding ceremonies so he could prepare for the finals of his course the next day.
