Foreign bets vie in youth shootfest

Youth shooters from Singapore and Kuwait will see action in the first Mayor Bambol Tolentino Invitational Youth shooting championships May 30-31 at the new Tagaytay City range.

The two-day shootfest to be hosted by Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is being launched by the Philippine National Shooting Association through its National Youth Development Program (NYDP) chaired by reigning pistol champion Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla.

The event will also serve as part of the national team’s preparation for its participation in the first Asian Youth Games set in Singapore in July this year.

Tagaytay City has produced some of the best youth shooters in last year’s NYDP-organized tournaments who are among the candidates for the national youth squad. On the other hand, Mayor Tolentino is an active supporter of the country’s various sports programs, including chess, cycling, basketball and shooting.

Meanwhile, the NYDP will mark its first anniversary on Jan. 24-25 by holding a tournament for local youth shooters at the Marines range in Taguig City.

Tagaytay, Taguig, Quezon City, Malabon, Makati, Ateneo and Marine Corps dependents will be among the participating teams.

Padilla, 15-time competitor in the biennial Southeast Asian Games, has vowed to exceed the achievements of the youth shooting program.

NYDP has lined up at least four major competitions to prepare the national team for the Asian Youth Games. Some of the national youth shooters may even be tapped by the PNSA to carry the country’s colors in the Southeast Asian Games in December this year.