By Edwin Rollon

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – The Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines-East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games officially open on Sunday sans extravagance as officials of the organizing Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under chairman Richard ‘Dickie’ Bachmann and host city Puerto Princesa led by Mayor Lucilo Bayron welcome more than 700 athletes and officials from four competing nations in a simple yet vibrant and fiesta-like atmosphere at the Edward S. Hagedorn Coliseum.

By Edwin Rollon

PRINCESA CITY, Palawan—There is no pomp and pageantry. It is just a simple get-together led by City Mayor Lucilo Bayron showcasing the hospitality of Puerto Princesa and its people.

Baseball chief Chito Loyzaga (right) shakes hand reelected POC president Bambol Tolentino.

ABRAHAM “BAMBOL” TOLENTINO, as many have expected, won a fresh four-year term as president with his entire “Working Team” dominating the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) elections on Friday at the East Ocean Garden Restaurant in Parañaque City.

PUERTO PRINCESA - Stung by his close loss the previous day, Pasig swimmer Arveen Naeem Taguinota II bounced back with two gold medals Wednesday, emerging as the most bemedalled swimmer with five in the Batang Pinoy National Championships at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex pool here.

Haylee Garcia with her five medals at the awarding ceremony MVP Gymnastics Training Center, Intramuros, Manila.

PUERTO PRINCESA - Proving that his triumph in the last Palarong Pambansa was no fluke, Iloilo Province's Franklin Catera reasserted his mastery  in the  boys under-18 high  jump, in a new meet record of 1.98 meters in the Batang Pinoy National Championships at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex here Tuesday.

PUERTO PRINCESA  -- The search for the new generation of local sports heroes and heroines continues as the 16th Batang Pinoy National Championships unfold on Sunday (November 24)  at the Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. Sports Complex and surrounding venues here. 

All 30 sports swing into action in the flagship grassroots sports fest organized by the Philippine Sports Commission and supported by the Puerto Princesa City government led by Mayor Lucilo Bayron.

The centerpiece and medal-rich sports of athletics and swimming will start rolling over at the sports complex named after the late former House Speaker as other disciplines will be staged around the picturesque coastal city.

Ushering in the meet Saturday was a colorful opening ceremony held at the RVM Sports Complex featuring a tableau of cultural dances highlighting the regions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and a parade of the slightly over 15,000 athletes and officials who will take part in the week-long age group competition.

"We would like to thank the Puerto Princesa City government led by Mayor Lucilo Bayron since our partnership with them has been seamless. Who would not want to do this with them again," noted PSC Chairman Richard Bachmann at the press conference before the Batang Pinoy National Championships.

"We are grateful to the PSC for its trust in allowing us to host the Batang Pinoy Nationals once more," responded Bayron at the same briefing in staging the meet again after the Palawan provincial capital previously hosted the Games in 2002 and 2019.

Bachmann said that he visited some of the billeting in the schools where the Batang Pinoy delegates are being quartered and was satisfied by what he saw in how well the local officials were addressing their requirements and needs.

The PSC chief said he had also taken steps to fast-track the release of allowances as PSC executive director and project chief Paolo Francisco Tatad promised to settle the matter within two days.

Tatad said that the government sports agency would have wanted to heed the clamor of the National Sports Associations  by adding  more disciplines to the championships "but having three major competitions one after the other such as the National Para Games, Batang Pinoy and BIMP-EAGA meet has strained our  personnel and resources."

On the other hand Puerto Princesa sports chief Atty. Rocky Austria said that he was hopeful that the more than 200 athletes they were fielding in the youth sports showcase would deliver.

"We have an ordinance that enables the city to give cash incentives to our Batang Pinoy achievers," said Austria, revealing that the city's gold medalists would receive a bonus of P50,000 each, silver, P30,000, and P20,000 for bronze.