Central Visayas finishes 3rd overall: Host region ends Palaro campaign with basketball, badminton golds

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Central Visayas wrapped up its campaign with golden performances in basketball and badminton events as the host region finished third overall in the 2013 Palarong Pambansa, which formally dropped off its curtains yesterday the Gov. Mariano Perdices Memorial Stadium here.

After the week-long sports conclave among the country's top elementary and secondary athletes, Central Visayas collected a total of 29 gold, 46 silver and 39 bronze medals translated into 337 points, which is good enough for a third-place finish.

“This serves as a double victory for us. It's not just that we had a very successful hosting of the Palaro, we also improved from fourth to third place overall this year,” said Department of Education Negros Oriental Schools Division Superintendent Sal Jimenez.“It shows that we really have the ability to excel if only we focus. I congratulate all the athletes and we hope we can continue this great performance in the coming years.”

Perennial champion National Capital Region (NCR) bested all challengers by amassing total overall scores of 596.5 points, way ahead of closest pursuer Western Visayas with 446.34.

Rounding up the top 10 were Northern Mindanao (288), Calabarzon (250), Central Luzon (155), Cotabato (129.5), Ilocos (110.67), Mimaropa (107.67) and Cordillera Administrative Region (104.17).

NCR was the runaway winner in the secondary division after it amassed 369 points, thanks to its strong performances in swimming, gymnastics, archery and secondary boys athletics.

While it won the high school plum by a mile, NCR's elementary team fought a good battle before ending the victor with 227.5 points, barely overcoming the brave challenge put up by Western Visayas, which wound up second with 189.67.

The biggest gainer of this year were Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao, which overtook traditional power Calabarzon at Nos. Three and Four. Calabarzon, which emerged the overall champion 11 years back, slid to No. 5.

On the final day of the competition, Central Visayas, manned by players from Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC), outlasted NCR, represented by San Sebastian, 70-66, to win the secondary boys basketball gold before a predominantly Visayan fans at the jampacked Lamberto Macias Sports and Cultural Centre.

Dawn Ochea provided the muscle and the hustle that served as the adhesive that kept Central Visayas together when they nearly blew a lead as big as 19 points.

Ochea scored the games' first eight points and his team's three of the last four including a free throw and a putback that gave the Cebuanos enough cushion to weather NCR's furious fightback.

It was Central Visayas first secondary basketball gold since then former Cebuano hotshot Elmer Cabahug lorded it over the field in the 80s.

And more importantly, Central Visayas avenged its quarterfinal loss to NCR, then represented by Letran, in last year's edition eventually topped by the latter in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

"We lost to them in a close game in the quarterfinals and I didn't forget that because I was part of that team," said the 16-year-old Ochea, a native of Tacloban, Leyte who will play this coming UAAP season for the Adamson Falcons.

In elementary badminton, Central Visayas claimed two golds courtesy of Eloise Marie Camillo and Catherina Garing in doubles and Camillo and James Ryan Navarette in mixed doubles event.

In secondary boys football, Central Visayas settled for only bronze after losing to Region IV-B in the final via penalty shootout, 5-4, while the elementary and secondary girls volleyball squads also settled for silver medals.

Cha Yuan Labiste contributed the final bronze medal for Central Visayas in the Kyorugi category of taekwondo competition.--with Philippine STAR News Service (FREEMAN)