Baguio City—Chess Grandmaster and former Baguio resident Eugene Torre extolled young elite athletes to go the extra mile for flag and country as the 67-year-old Asia’s first GM shared his fond memories as a national athlete, including the 1978 Karpov-Korchnoi world chess championship, during the Kafagway/Kordillera International Sportsman Luminary Award Podium here.
Speaking after handing awards to 21 athletes and sportsmen at the Sunshine Park here, Torre said hard work will lead them to where they want to be.
“You are luckier at this time since many, including the government, are there to support you,” said Torre.
Mixed martial artists and Team Lakay champions Kevin Belingon, Stephen Loman, Joshua Pacio, Geje Eustaquio and Edward Folayang, as well as Mark Sangiao, were among the top honorees of the event nearly ruined by rains.
Belingon, the ONE Championship bantamweight king, and Loman, the Brave Combat Federation bantamweight champion, failed to make it to the awards rites presented by Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan and Rep. Mark Go.
Their awards were received by Sangiao.
Asian Games bronze medalists Divine Wally, Carlo Paalam and Jeordan Dominguez were also honored in the event organized by the National Correspondent Club of Baguio and Eponymous Publication and Media Works, and backed by the Larry Puckett Green Meadows Foundation.
Wally, a cousin of Folayang, was also unable to attend the rites, with her award being received by Daniel Parantac, another relative.
“She could not get a ride from Nueva Vizcaya,” said Parantac of his cousin, who also won a bronze in the World Cup of Wushu Sanda late October.
Paalam is also back home in Cagayan de Oro and his award was received by University of Baguio athletic director Alan Elegado. Paalam is a senior high UB student.
Parantac, Jones Inso and Thornton Lou Sayan won a gold each in the Traditional Wushu Championship in Nanjing, China late October. Parantac and Inso had bronze and silver medals, respectively, in the same competition.
Another awardee was Brico Santig, who owns the Highland Boxing Promotions, which has gyms in La Trinidad, Benguet and Bangkok, Thailand, where his family is based. He is the promoter of Orient Pacific Boxing Federation Silver winner Jelbirt Gomera, OPBF champion Carlo Magali, KK Natuplag (World Boxing League Asia champion), JayR Raquinel (OPBF champion) and Michael Zulueta (Asian Boxing Federation minimum weight champion).
He and the five boxers were represented by associate Miller Dep-ay, who co-promotes Highland boxing events here.
Special citations by e-Pub were given to the Cordillera Volleyball Development League for Elementary and Secondary Schools under Cordillera Volleyball Association president Danilo Edwardo for its grassroots development program, which he started seven years ago.