Padilla leads RP shooters to SEA Games

Veteran internationalist Nathaniel ‘Tac’ Padilla leads six other shooters who have qualified outright for the Philippine team to the 23rd Southeast Asian Games here late this year.

Despite his tight schedule as Spring Cooking Oil general manager, the 40-year-old Padilla still managed to easily surpass the standards set by the Philippine National Shooting Association in rapid fire, center fire and standard pistol to emerge as the country’s lone entry in these events.

Joining Padilla on the RP team are Carolino Gonzales (free/air pistol), Emerito Concepcion (air rifle), Susan Aguado (sport pistol), Rachel Marie Capili (women’s air rifle) and Josephine Gay Corral and Aimee Gana (women’s trap).

PNSA president Art Macapagal named Padilla, Concepcion and Jose Ramon Corral as captains of the pistol, rifle and shotgun squads, respectively.

Fourteen other shooters, including Athens Olympian Jethro Dionisio and veterans Eric Ang and Jaime Recio, will still bid for slots in trap, skeet and free rifle prone.

Dionisio, Ang and Recio are vying for berths in men’s trap together with Jerry Sun, Jose Ramon Corral and Carlos Carag.

Paul Brian Rosario, Darius Alexis Hizon and Patricio Bernardo are seeking skeet slots, while Rocky Pardillo, Edwin Fernandez, Eddie Tomas, Benny Cagurin and Alfonso Antonio Hermoso are vying in the free rifle prone event.

"All these shooters surpassed the criteria during the monthly competitions from July 2004 to June this year," said Macapagal. "But Padilla and the six others earned automatic slots because no other shooters made the grade in their respective events."
Macapagal added that the remaining qualifying berths will be decided during the one-time final eliminations next month.

The RP team training will start in August with support coming from the sport’s "godfather", Basic Holdings Corp. of Bong Tan, and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Macapagal bared that if funds are available, the RP team might get international exposure before the SEA Games set Nov. 27-Dec.5.