Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon recently paid tribute to 10 of the country’s most accomplished and up-and-coming swimmers, including Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and FINA World campaigner Chloe Isleta and World Junior Championship semifinalist Michaela Jasmine Mojdeh.
Biazon acknowledged the triumph and achievements of the two national team members during the opening of the Muntinlupa Aquatic Center, coinciding with the hosting of the 1st Ruffy Biazon Swim Cup in collaboration with the city’s Youth Affairs and Sports Development Office last December 3.
“‘Yung mga nakakamit ninyong karangalan para sa bayan at inspirasyon sa ating mga kababayan, higit pa sa mga kabataan, ay tiyak na nabibigyan ninyo ng pag-asa para magpursige sa sports o sa bagay na pangarap nilang matupad,” said Biazon during the awarding of plaques of appreciation.
Biazon stressed that the aquatic center is just part of the city’s wide range of sports facilities as he plans to turn Muntinlupa as a ‘sports hub’ in the South.
“Yung sports-tourism ay priority sa programa namin,” said Biazon.
The 24-year-old Isleta is an eight-time Philippine national record holder and the country’s lone swimming gold medalist at the 2022 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. She participated in several FINA-sanctioned events abroad and is now currently part of the Philippine Team seeing action in the 2022 FINA World Short Course Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Mojdeh, 16, the pride of Brent International School and member of Behrouz Elite Swimming Team, was dubbed ‘Water Beast’ with her dominance in the junior level, where she holds four junior records and topped the Palarong Pambansa for years. She become the first Filipina to make it to the semifinals of the tough FINA Junior Swimming Championships last August in Lima, Peru.
The junior veteran internationalist is part of the 43-man Philippine Team set to participate in the 44th SEA Age Group Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Also participating in the traditional swimoff were Calib Sim Jr., a multi-medalist paratriathlete from TODO Paratriathlon Team; Adrian Dionisio, an actor and influencer, who placed runner-up in the Iron Man Philippines in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; Amina Bungubung, Philippine national junior swimmer and teammate of Mojdeh in FINA World Junior Championships; and Martin Jacob Pupos, who represented the Philippines in the University Games 2022 in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand.
They were joined by Dax Timbol Halili, triathlete, head coach of Dax Swimming Team and Tri Clark Scania; Elgan Ciel Reyes, dubbed “The Pool Dynamo’, an A5 nominee athlete with autism making marks in sports and music; Johannes Marcus De Kam, a member of the PH team in 2019 SEAG age group in Bengaluru, India; and Julia Ysabelle Basa, “The Swim Babe”, Philippine National Junior Swimmer, 44th SEA Age Group Swimming Championships 2022, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.