Dumaguete on my mind

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental - The local government has proudly been proclaiming the staging of the fourth Asian University Basketball Championship (AUBC) here as its first international sports event. Negros News placed a large photo of the Lamberto Macias sports and cultural center (venue for the games) on the front page of its latest weekly edition.

"It’s the first time the province will handle an international sporting event that carries with it the magnitude of tourism potential and exposure before the national and international media," Negros Oriental Gov. George Arnaiz was quoted as saying.

The tournament, dubbed the Dr. Carl Ching Men Ky Cup, includes Myong Ji University of Korea, Xiamen University, host Silliman University, University of San Carlos (Cebu), West Negros College (Bacolod), Salazar Institute of Technology (Cebu), and two appearances by the RP SEABA team.

The nationals flew to Dumaguete to test themselves against the foreign teams. In their first game Monday, the Philippines defeated a tall Xiamen side, 103-87. In their second match Wednesday, they were upset by the terrific shooting of Myong Jin, 95-89. Spectators said that everything the Koreans pitched at the hoop went in, while the nationals missed some key shots down the stretch. The loss will surely fan the flames of criticism of the BAP’s program for international competition, more so with the SEABA mere weeks away.

By the middle of the week, the visiting schools had gotten used to the oppressive heat at the air-conditionerless gym. Thursday, Myong Ji played the tough University of San Carlos, coached by PBA Philippine team head coach Chot Reyes’s younger brother, Mike, and retired pro Jay Ramirez. Myong Ji’s guards had been shooting down the opposition from long range, so Reyes tried to cut off that advantage with an extended defense.

"Let’s make them beat us inside, as long as they don’t get shots from the outside," conceded Reyes.

The undersized Cebuanos held their own in the first two quarters, only going down by 12 in the first half, before the big Korean frontline started running and pounding them tirelessly in the paint. In the following game, neither team played much defense, as Xiamen blasted Salazar Institute, leading by more than 30 points in the third quarter.

With the tournament going well, the local government is contemplating bidding for the succeeding SEABA tournaments here, as it hopes to draw as many tourists as its neighbors Bacolod, Iloilo and Boracay. Across the street from the Macias sports complex is the only diving pool outside of Metro Manila. A few blocks away is Silliman University, which, in the past, has produced some of the country’s outstanding archers.

The most striking feature of Dumaguete’s atmosphere is how strongly the city maintains its traditional values. Although the Rizal Boulevard waterfront area plays host to hotels and a few bars, the area is generally much more peaceful than urban dwellers like us are used to. I was surprised to find almost no international fast food chains here, and our local fastfood giant’s branch here closed at 9 p.m.

"People here find fast food very expensive," said Jurand Somoza, a local liaison for the AUBC. "They can get much better food from any restaurant here at a much lower price."

In addition, many local landmark places maintain very strict codes for dress and behavior. At the packed Bethel guest house, for example, smoking and drinking are not allowed, and no visitors are permitted entry or allowed to stay after 10 p.m. When the organizers held a cultural show for all participating teams at the fabulous Luce auditorium on Silliman’s campus, they strictly enforced the dress code. No sleeveless shirts or blouses, no shorts or slippers, or no entry. The show itself was a rich display of Filipino song and dance, climaxing with the pride of Negros Oriental, the national street dancing champion team.

Governor Arnaiz also invited students from all over the province to avail of a fifty percent discount for tickets to the games to encourage their support. That meant that general admission would cost them a mere P 10.

When you look at it, Dumaguete would be a great venue for international sporting competitions, primarily because the community maintains its values, is very accommodating, has great food and terrific scenery, and is near other great tourism destinations, too. The AUBC has been a perfect trial balloon, and perhaps, with the added learnings from Cebu’s hosting events at this year’s Southeast Asian Games, Dumaguete will start attracting visitors through its strong promotion of sports tourism.

* * *

Catch this week’s episode of The Basketball Show on ABC 5 at 3 p.m.