Energen Phl stranded for 20 hours, rescued

MANILA, Philippines - The Energen Philippine youth team was among those stranded due to floods caused by torrential rains after its practice at the SGS gym along Araneta Avenue in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City Monday night.

Coach Olsen Racela, his staff and players – around 25 in all – spent the night in the gym, rescued only at noon yesterday by Rescue 5, the emergency response unit of TV5.

It took almost three hours for the team, divided into five batches, to be ferried by an inflated rubber boat to safer grounds near Maria Clara St. Theywere stranded for 20 hours.

The owner of the gym provided the team food for dinner Monday night and breakfast yesterday morning.

“It was quite an experience. We took it positively, providing us moment to bond. We’re good. There are many who suffer more,” assistant coach Nash Racela told The STAR.

The Racela brothers were with the last batch brought to safer ground. Rescue 5 also rescued other stranded people along the way.

“Energen Pilipinas out of danger already. Thank you for all your prayers. What an experience for us. Now that’s what you call team building!” twitted Olsen Racela at around 3 p.m. yesterday.

The heavy downpour that inundated many parts of Metro Manila and neighboring provinces and left many like Racela’s boys stranded also forced the UAAP to take a rain check on its basketball activities.

The league postponed its matches slated today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, featuring La Salle against Adamson and University of the East versus University of Santo Tomas in the men’s division, and the women’s division matchups between UST and Ateneo, and University of the Philippines and defending champion Far Eastern.

“Due to the bad weather and floods all over, UAAP games for Wednesday are hereby postponed to a later date,” said the league in a statement.

The Racela brothers used the social networking service to make their team’s situation known, and Smart Gilas coach Chot Reyes responded by calling Rescue 5.

The national youth were actually safe in the gym, located at the top of the four-storey structure. Likewise safe were their vehicles in the parking area on the third floor.

They had noodles and sardines for dinner and champorado for breakfast. They had yet taken lunch at mid-afternoon yesterday.

The team is in the final stage of its buildup for the Fiba Asia under-18 championship slated Aug. 16-26 in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

The national youth aim to make the top three to gain a ticket to the FIBA world Under-19 joust next year.

The Philippines narrowly missed the semis last year notwithstanding the absence of key players left behind in the country. 

They swept their SEABA championship assignments to advance to the Asian tilt.