Why RP needs heroes in 16th Asiad

THE SUCCESS of Filipino athletes such as boxing’s pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, billiards great Efren “Bata” Reyes and bowling legend Paeng Nepomuceno in international competitions instills national pride and unity in a country beset with many problems.
That is why there is a need for the country’s 191 athletes to put up a successful performance in the coming 16th Asian Games on Nov. 12 to 27 in Guangzhou, China.
“The taxpayers, in particular, are more conscious now than ever about the number of medals we would garner in Guangzhou because their money are being spent for the Asian Games campaign,” said an avid sports fan.
Because of this concern, officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission are working feverishly to make the country’s stint in Guangzhou fruitful.
They are now pinning their gold-medal hopes on several athletes.
We will mention only the ones who, in our opinion, are top medal hopes:  boxers Charly Suarez, Victorio Saludar III and Rey Saludar; billiards’ Hall of Famer Reyes and world women’s 10-ball champion Rubilen Amit; this year’s Bowling World Cup bronze medalist Biboy Rivera; chess sensation Wesley So; veteran internationalist and national shooting champion Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla; taekwondo’s Tshomlee Go; dance sports’ veteran couples Emmanuel Reyes-Maira Rosete (tango and slow foxtrot) and Erolle Melencio-Dearlie Gerodias (samba and jive).
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POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and PSC chair Ritchie Garcia believe the Philippines could win no less than 10 gold medals in Guangzhou, surpassing the four the country won in Doha, Qatar, four years ago.
In the 2006 Doha Asiad, the Philippines fielded a 233-member team that went home with a haul of four gold medals, six silvers and nine bronzes.
For this year’s Guangzhou Asiad, the POC is expected to send some 300 delegates. However, the PSC will only fund 191 athletes, 53 coaches and 16 team managers.
Also part of the 284-member contingent are chief of mission Joey Romasanta, deputy chief Chippy Espiritu, 12 medical officers and 10 administrative staffers.
“All the others will pay for their trip,” clarified Moying Martelino, a member of the POC Asiad screening panel. He added that the trip of Cojuangco, POC chair Monico Puentevella and secretary general Steve Hontiveros will be shouldered by the Olympic Council of Asia.
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Belated congratulations to coach Britt Reroma for piloting the San Beda Red Cubs to back-to-back championships in the NCAA junior basketball tournament.