Philippines Spectacular and star-studded. These terms best describe the opening of the 5th Governor Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball (GUV) Cup yesterday at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex.
The elaborate kick-off bash was graced by former Senator Ralph Recto, his illustrious wife Vilma Santos, and their amiable son Ryan Christian.
Being a leader in their province, Santos said they also have their provincial volleyball tournament in both men and women’s division. The “Star for all Seasons” is even open to the idea of having the best of Batangas clash with the best of Cebu.
“It’s very interesting to see such tournament here in Cebu. I heard initially this was only intended to women but now it now caters the men. It’s the sport that they’re enjoying. We do have this kind of tournament in Batangas,” said Santos.
When asked if there is a possibility of a Batangas-Cebu showdown, Santos replied: “Why not? My teams are also good players and why not try to have them here and fight against the best Cebuano teams. I’ll just talk to Governor Garcia regarding this matter.”
For her part, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia is very glad that the province-wide contest she kick-started five years ago has reached this far and has attaint overwelming success.
“When we took the first step, we did not know that we’ll make history. We have a vision, a dream but with it, we also have determination and passion to make these dreams come true. Thus, we made history of being the biggest volleyball tournament in the country,” said Garcia.
“This started with a unity volleyball cup for women and now, we have expanded this unity with our men. So we could also say that there is a bigger future for volleyball in the province of Cebu,” Garcia added.
In the games proper, Minglanilla thrashed Dalaguete, 25-12, 25-15 in the men’s Cluster I battle behind the efforts of Lemuel Dave Areza, Klent Dacayana, Franz Sidy Opsima, and Al John Archival.
Meanwhile, the Best in Uniform went to the municipality of Tabuelan, while the Most Punctual Award was given to the Madridejos contingent, which arrived at the venue at 3:30 in the morning.