Nat'l rowers break SEAG mark

MANILA, Philippines - The national men’s dragon boat team surpassed its own Southeast Asian Games record and a pair of twins and two teenage kayak rowers made their presence felt in the dragonboat and canoe-kayak competitions of the second Philippine National Games at Lake Caliraya in Laguna last weekend.

The men’s dragon boat squad in the 20-seat event clocked one minute and 48.82 seconds in winning the games’ 500 meters gold medal, shattering the SEA Games record of 1:54.00 it set in Indonesia last November.

A total of 768 rowers in all three disciplines took part in the games supervised by the Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation, Inc. headed by Dr. Sim Chi Tat, the most among the 38 national sports associations in the PNG that was staged in various parts of the country.

The nationals were so overpowering in the 500-meter event that Philippine Navy could only clock 1:54.10 for the silver and Lake Buhi 1:55.35 for the bronze.

Twins Alvin and Alex Genaro also made an impression along with Hermie Macaranas, 16, and Ojay Fuentes, 13.

Alvin (2:20.64) and Alex (2:30.55) Generalo finished 1-2 in the men’s 500 meters of kayak’s touring single while Macaranas bagged the bronze with 2:36.18.

The twins also bagged gold and silver in kayak’s sprint single – Alvin with 2:02.09 and Alex with 2:07.10. Daniel Ortega, with 2:13.74, clinched the bronze in the competitions that, becase of the enthusiasm and the sheer numbers of the participants, became more of a festival.

Alvin Generalo bagged a third gold medal in kayak’s 200 meters touring single with a time of 53.12 and a fourth mint in doubles with Manalo with 1:06.40.

Meanwhile, in an effort to spice up the competition and raise the level of play in the POC-PSC National Games, the organizing Philippine Sports Commission is considering the possibility of opening the sportsfest to foreign athletes.

According to PSC commissioner Jolly Gomez, the PNG is “a work in progress with regards to the different sports” and that the board is “actually looking at how to make the Games more attractive to participants.” 

“As we move forward, we’ll be opening the PNG, in the years to come, to our Southeast Asian neighbors, depending on the sports,” said the exec in charge of the PNG.

Some foreign athletes, mostly based in Phl, had actually already competed in the recent edition here, especially in centerpiece track and field.

More bets from ASEAN nations like Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia may come over to test the locals in certain sports in future editions.

“We have memorandum of understanding with Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand and we’re now in the process of having one with Malaysia. With these MOUs, we can actually invite participants from these countries for the PNG,” said PSC chairman Richie Garcia. – With report from Olmin Leyba