May the best team win Action in 5th Milo Little Olympics National Finals goes full blast today

CEBU, Philippines -  A very exciting and highly intense battle looms ahead as games in the 5th Milo Little Olympics National Finals go full blast today mainly at the Cebu City Sports Center.

While the heads of Luzon and Mindanao delegations have somehow conceded the overall title already, they also expressed their own strengths that may enable them to pull some major suprise over the early favorites bannered by defending champion National Capital Regiona (NCR) and grandslam titlist Visayas.

Luzon's head of delegation Tess Bernardino declared that they are ready to reign supreme again in taekwondo and swimming as well as in elementary and secondary boys volleyball, chess and scrabble.

“Nakapag-adjust na din yun mga bata especially yung mga swimmers namin na sa Baguio nag-training. Tapos yung elementary boys namin sa volleyball from Bolinao Pangasinan, sila yung champion sa Palaro (Palarong Pambansa) so kung mananalo kami sa mga sports na sinabi ko, may chance din kami sa overall siguro,” said Bernardino.

Mindanao's Megronio Llamera, for his part, is expecting a lot from their bets in elementary and secondary boys basketball and football, elementary taekwondo, and secondary girls volleyball.

“Ang among elementary boys in basketball champion sila sa Palaro nya ang secondary girls in volleyball top four pud sa Palaro so naa sad gyu’y events na dako mig chance mag-gold,” said Llamera.

Llamera said the team from Mindanao is being represented by players from all regions that makes their team an exciting mix.

Host Team Visayas led by Ricky Ballesteros, on the other hand, is counting on highly on the ball games plus in chess, taekwondo and scrabble.

Ballesteros hopes that the Bisdak athletes have “absorbed all the energy” out of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake and the super typhoon that struck the region to regain supremacy in the MLO.

Team Visayas missed the full cycle as far as the overall championship is concerned after losing to NCR by only 11 points last year. NCR tallied 294 points, while the Bisdaks got 283.

Dr. Robert Calo earlier said NCR is sending “second stringers” because some of the top schools are barred from joining other events while the UAAP and NCAA season are still going on, while others have been replaced as they can't make it due to conflict of schedules.

NCR though remains the top team to beat in swimming,athletics, gymnastics, chess, and secondary girls volleyball.

“Siguro kung hindi na-postpone ang national championship, mas malakas kami. Pero may tiwala naman ako sa mga players namin na nandito na makakapag-deliver din,” said Calo. The MLO was supposed to be held last October 25-27 but was moved to a later date due to the earthquake that hit Cebu and Bohol.

Most of the games will be held at CCSC, while basketball will take place at the Cebu Coliseum, badminton, sipa and sepak takraw at Metro Sports in Lahug, elementary volleyball at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation, secondary volleyball at Aznar Coliseum, tennis at Alta Vista Golf and Country Club, and taekwondo at Cebu Eastern College. (FREEMAN)