Gilas drums up SEAG

GILAS, the official mascot of the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, was officially introduced to the public together with the launching of the SEA Games booth yesterday at the second floor of Ayala Center Cebu.

CebuSoc vice chairperson Cheryl Ouano said the Cebuanos are so lucky to be the first to see Gilas live.

Gilas is derived from the country's national bird, the Philippine eagle or agila in Filipino.

The Philippine eagle is a symbol of strength and pride as well as capture the winning spirit of all participating athletes.

More to it, gilas could also mean what is good and excellent about being a Filipino or simply "galing" in Filipino.

Gilas, the friendly athletic mascot, will be going to malls and schools here in Cebu and in the other parts of the country.

With Gilas around, CebuSoc is expecting more people, especially the young ones, getting interested about the SEA Games.

On the other hand, CebuSoc also launched its SEA Games booth at Ayala Center.

Some SEA Games souvenir items and information about the sports that will be held here in Cebu can be seen in the booth.

Cebu plays hosts to six events in the 11-nation sports conclave set from November 27 to December 5. These are dancesport, mountainbike, judo, karate-do, pencak silat and sepak takraw.

CebuSoc will also hold a campus tour as part of its arduous information drive about the Games.