Sportswriting women of Cebu

Thanks to the column of Bobby Motus, I was reminded that March is also Women’s Month. 

The sports section of The FREEMAN can claim to have started the women’s revolution in sportswriting in Cebu when we gave the break to several of them.

The first was Caecent No-ot, who as one of my students at St. Theresa’s College, showed a lot of interest in sports.

After Caecent, who continues to write for The FREEMAN, there were many of them, mostly my former students in news writing and editing. 

I will try to recall as many as I can, but from the top of head, there were Marsante Alison, Mary Rose Javier, Katherine Dante, Alvie Cabajes, O’Reza Soco, Iste Sesante, and several more who tried sportswriting as interns of the paper.

Later, sports editor Many Villaruel recruited Marigold Lebumfacil.

Now, female sportswriters are as common as the men, who cover the many events in the sporting world here. 

Sun Star Daily has Marian Baring, who was my student in sportswriting also at STC, Cheska Geli, and Iste.

Mars is with CDN where another former student of mine, Haide Acuña, also writes a column on running.

The sportswriting community of Cebu is one area where the women have proven that they can also do as well as the men.

As we close women’s month, I raise a toast to the female sportswriters of Cebu for helping shape our industry into what it is today.

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The Cebu Football Association (CFA) is holding its elections today.

From the list that was emailed to me, it seems that there are indeed many candidates to choose from.

My only wish is that the members of the CFA would be able to choose the best and those who will be elected would not allow politics or personal differences to affect the growth of the sport in this part of the world.

Football is the world’s number one game. It is not yet number one in the basketball-crazy Philippines, but it will soon get there if we all work together.

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Tomorrow, the original members of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Sambisig class of 1991 will be looking back to exactly 25 years ago when our lives changed on the parade grounds of Camp Aquino in Tarlac, Tarlac.

It was 25 years ago when our class reported to the Academy, but not to Fort del Pilar in Baguio City, but only halfway through as part of an experiment for the new cadets.

To all my mistahs we can now laugh as we look back at April 1, 1987.

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MILESTONES: Belated greetings to Albert Pasicolan of the Gray Knights and to Lt. Col. Wilson Feria, who celebrated their birthdays yesterday.

Today’s greetings go to my cousin Ladi Quiñones-Starkey, Eileen Rizada, and Daisy Ba-ad.

Advance greetings go to Virgilio Bas, Jr., who turns a year older tomorrow.

More power to all of you!