MAASIN CITY HOSTS EVRAA 2012

MAASIN CITY HOSTS SMOKE-FREE EVRAA 2012

As early as February 2011, right after the opening ceremonies of the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association meet in Calbayog City, it was already agreed by the Regional Sports Board that Maasin City will be the host of the biggest gathering of athletes in the region by next year.  It was even announced during the closing ceremony to all athletes and officials “See you in Maasin City in 2012.”

It was a distinction that earned Maasin as an aggressive host.  Usually, hosts were determined just few months before the big event.  But when Southern Leyte deferred its hosting for 2012, it was Maasin’s turn to be offered as the next division to stage the annual sporting event. 

I consulted Gov. Damian Mercado and Cong. Roger Mercado if Southern Leyte is willing to help us as co-host of the EVRAA in 2012.  As expected, the two leaders gave their yes, and immediately I informed the DepEd Regional Office of our intention to accept the hosting of the big event.      

Then Maasin Schools Division Superintendent Pedro Escobarte informed the Regional Director Rosemarie Saet and the different
 superintendents were unanimous in awarding the hosting of the EVRAA 2012 to Maasin City.

One good reason why they agreed to the Maasin City hosting is that the Congressman, Governor, City Mayor, provincial officials and city officials are united.  This is not true to the other cities and provinces in Eastern Visayas. 

On October 20, 2011, the 100 Days Countdown was launched at the Anatalio Gaviola Plaza with Regional Sports Coordinator Cesar Verunque as the guest of honor.  It was attended by hundreds of athletes, officials, and teachers including city employees and the general public. 

But the preparations were disturbed by rains especially the preparation of the track and
 field oval at the Southern Leyte Sports Complex and the baseball and soccer fields.  However, covered courts were ready in the different barangays to host the indoor events.  Athletes’ trainings were also interrupted by the inclement weather.

Through the persistent preparation by the Maasin City Sports Council led by Atty. Feorillo Demeterio, Jr. and the City Schools Division Sports Coordinator Fernando Salapi, everything was ready including the billeting schools and the playing venues. 

It was one of the few EVRAA meets which were not postponed even if the preparations were disturbed by the rains.  The 100 days countdown hit the target opening day on January 29, 2012.

Delegations kept arriving staring January 26, 2012.  And every thing was set for the opening ceremony.  It stopped raining in time for the opening ceremonies of the EVRAA on January 29, 2012.  The opening parade kicked off the EVRAA 2012 from the plaza to the sports complex.  Delegations paraded in alphabetical order, starting with Biliran, Calbayog City, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar. Ormoc City, Samar, Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, and the host Maasin City was the last. 

No less than Pilipinas Got Talent Grand Champion Maasinhon Trio serenaded the crowd.  Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali, who was in-charge of sports in the DepEd, was the guest of honor.  It showcased the unity and solidarity of our leaders which did not happen in the other provinces and cities.  

As in any Olympics, SEA Games or Asian Games, the lighting of the Friendship Flame was the highlight of the opening.  Our national gold and silver medalists carried the torch around the track.  To the surprise of the audience, the runners stopped in front of the grandstand to turn over the privilege of lighting the urn to the “true champion of sports in Maasin City.”  I run with the athletes to the place where the urn was situated.  To the background music of the movie “Superman” and “The Ten Commandments” the urn was lighted and the EVRAA signage was lighted by fireworks. 

The urn and signage lighting was invented by city hall scientist Rudolph Sanchez upon my suggestion that it should be the climax of the opening ceremonies.  It was the
 tradition of major international games that the lighting of the urn will be the biggest surprise of the opening.  We started the parade at 3:00 P.M. apart from the usual 1:00 P.M. to let the ceremony reach sunset.

Another grand show of fireworks lighted the sky when the EVRAA 2012 was formally opened by Director Luisa Bautista-Yu.  All were impressed of the grand display of pyrotechnics which happened only in the Maasin hosting of the EVRAA.  What followed was the very enjoyable Welcome Night at the city gym. 

The sun shone so brightly and the highlighted lighting of the Friendship Flame, the pyrotechnics of the EVRAA signage and the fireworks display went on perfectly.  The rains came back when the EVRAA came to a close. 

Maasin City delegation was housed at the Maasin City College campus.  It was so secured and we had protected the rooms from vandalisms especially that we can impose discipline on our own athletes.  The rooms were newly painted but there were no writings whatsoever because we let them love the building because it is our own college, financed and operated by the city government.  

Competitions began on January 30.  As expected powerhouse Leyte dominated most of the games.  They are the biggest delegation numbering more than 600 athletes and officials.  Maasin City athletes fought hard to show the home crowd that we are determined to become champions in some events and to go for the gold. 

The most interesting of all was our delegation in the archery event.  Only three days before the start of the games, the bows and arrows ordered from Manila arrived.  The athletes practically were briefed on the basics of archery for two weeks only.  It was the first time we joined archery in the EVRAA.  The boys’ team placed 4th and the girls’ team placed 5th out of 8 participating teams.  

We also fielded entries in arnis for the first time in EVRAA history.  And our girls garnered 6 gold medals enroute to winning the championship in their division.  They trained for only five months and started from scratch, like archery.  

Although Leyte won the secondary boys’ boxing by a solitary
 bronze medal, and Maasin City won the elementary boys’ boxing with 2 golds and 1 silver, Maasin won the unofficial overall championship in boxing with a medal tally of 3 golds and 2 silvers as compared to Leyte’s 2-2-1 tally. 

In the qualifying round and in the semi-final round, all 5 boxers of Maasin City won their bouts via referee stopped contest (RSC).  The boxers abilities improved with the training they got from Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP).  No less than 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Roel Velasco came to Maasin to train our coaches and referees.  Also, our own boxer Edillo Abrea now training in Baguio City at the ABAP national camp came home to share his knowledge to our amateurs.    

Maasin City’s elementary
 girls’ volleyball team successfully defended their title by taking the gold medal.  Last year in Calbayog, they were also champions.  The girls come from Malapoc Norte Elementary School and practiced religiously everyday until evening.  

Maasin City became champions in boys’ and girls’ swimming, girls’ volleyball, and boys’ boxing in the elementary and in the girls’ swimming, girls’ arnis, boys’ badminton, and girls’ table tennis in the secondary division.  In the elementary level, Leyte got 1st place, Eastern Samar 2nd place and Maasin City 3rd place.  In the secondary level, Leyte got 1st place, Eastern Samar 2nd place, Ormoc City 3rd place, and Maasin City tied with Tacloban City at 4th place.

In the overall championship, Leyte
 was 1st, Eastern Samar was 2nd, and Maasin City was 3rd.  Our consolation was that Maasin City emerged the top city as it bested Ormoc City (4th place), Tacloban City (5th place) and Calbayog City (10th place).  The other delegations’ overall standings were Northern Samar (6th place), Southern Leyte (7th place), Samar (8th place), and Biliran (9th place). 

Leyte dominated practically all events in both secondary and elementary levels.  The Leyte Sports Academy (LSA) organized by their provincial government was a big plus factor to Leyte’s dominance.  So Maasin City learned a lot from the LSA, especially from Dr, Lucrecio Calo, the consultant and organizer of the LSA.  He was a retired Executive Director of the Philippine Sports Commission. 

Maasin City became the champion in the secondary division when it hosted the EVRAA in 2005.  It was the time when the standings were decided in terms of medals won.  This time the point system similar to that of the Palarong Pambasa was used. 

On the other hand, if we failed to win the championship, we were rated “excellent” by Mr. Verunque on the matter of hosting the games.  During the evaluation conducted by the tournament managers days before the opening, they rated our playing venues at 95%.  According to them, this is the first time alternate venues were prepared for volleyball and lawn tennis in case it rains so the games won’t be interrupted.      

There was only one reported case of
 theft during the EVRAA.  It happened at the Maasin City National High School where the Calbayog City delegation was housed.  I was ashamed of the incident because when we were in Calbayog during the EVRAA 2011 we were safe from robbers because of the tight security of the PNP and the Army.  The PNP caught the robber and we presented him to the delegation.  He could no longer return the robbed money so I paid the victim more than the amount stolen from her.  She was a mother of a badminton athlete.    The suspect was a known thief and robber in Barangay Combado where the city high school was situated.  

Officials gave positive feedbacks on our hosting.  They would want to be back to Maasin in the future hosting of the regional meet.  They appreciated our Smoke-Free EVRAA and those officials who were smokers were
able to reduce if not eradicate their smoking vice.  I told them, “I helped extend your life by several minutes or even hours and days.” 

All posts in the poblacion area were marked with tarpaulins indicating “Thank You for Observing our No Smoking Policy.”  These also include billeting quarters and playing venues. 

True to its theme “School Sports: Avenue for a Healthy Lifestyle,” the EVRAA 2012 was the first ever “Smoke-Free EVRAA.”  For it was held in the city that cares for the health.