Athletes from Iloilo will carry the Philippine flag as they see action in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, which will officially open on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas will feature Ilonggo veteran Ruel Catalan as he completed the eight-man Filipino squad, hoping to deliver medals for the country.

According to SKP secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan, they are confident and also want to be modest. 

“Our assessment for the SEA Games is that everyone would be a medalist. We hope and pray each and every athlete would be successful in their respective categories. Doon muna tayo mas focus in promoting the sport as well as giving these athletes the break (they needed).”

Aside from Catalan who will fight under 57 kg, other players are Karol Maguide (51 kg), Jerry Olsim (69 kg), Rex De Lara (60 kg) Jomar Balaguid (54 kg), Jean Claude Saclag (63 kg), and the women duo of Renz Daquel (48 kg) and Gina Iniong (55 kg).

Meanwhile, Ilonggo martial artist Edmar Tacuel hopes to snatch the gold medal in the Tunggal as he represents the country in the biennial tournament. 

The native of Brgy. Nagban, Tubungan, Iloilo shared he underwent rigid training as part of his SEAG preparations. He is also part of the Philippine Pencak Silat team which is comprised of 15 players playing for this year’s edition. 

Tacuel started his playing career at the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U), where he finished his secondary education. Before seeing action in the international arena, Tacuel starred I’m various local and national tournaments – three silver medals in the 2013 Batang Pinoy in Maasin City, Southern Leyte. He also bagged another silver in 1st World Beach Pencak Silat at Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand. 

Following his sterling performance, Ilonggo Kiefer Ravena is grateful to be part of the Philippine men’s basketball team’s final 12-man lineup for the 2019 SEA Games. 

Ravena was selected out of 15 players despite being a late addition to the pool.

The 26-year-old Ravena may be the youngest on the all-PBA squad but he has the most experience playing in the regional meet. The NLEX guard already holds the record with the most SEA Games gold medal by a Filipino athlete with four and he gets to add another this year in front of a hometown crowd.

Gilas Pilipinas, still heavily-favored to extend its reign, begins its campaign against Singapore on Dec. 4 at Mall of Asia Arena.

Ilongga cyclist Ariana Dormitorio will also bring the Ilonggo spirits as she led the country’s bikers. 

After she failed to finish strong in the Olympic Qualifying Asian MTB Championship in Lebanon, the Ilongga racer will try her luck in one of her biggest tournaments. 

To recall, Dormitorio continued her reign in the race track after beating Chinese Taipei’s Ya Yu Tsai and Miho Imai of Japan. The Ilongga cyclist made a blistering one hour, 18 minutes and 18.22 seconds to complete the 21.50 kilometer race. 

Dormitorio also collected 60 valuable UCI points to boost her chance of earning a qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan. She trained in the UCI Training Center in Switzerland to improve her leg work and to familiarize with the challenging trails of the center. 

Ilonggo Niño Martin Eday, who was the UCI-DHI National Champion for Men’s Elite Category also geared up for a biking tilt. He finished with a record time of 2:34:785 in one of his tournaments. “It has been a childhood dream of mine to join international competitions, and now that I have achieved it, I am really honored and proud to be given the chance to represent our country in the upcoming SEA Games,” he added.

Representing Far Eastern University (FEU), Guimaras native Joida Gagnao will also try her luck in the running events. To recall, Gagnao took the course with ease, cruising past the UAAP competition at a swift 11:10.36 – more than a minute ahead of silver medalist and Fighting Maroon Maricris Naciluan at 12:14.21.

Lea Denise Belgira will be competing in the Mountain Bike Downhill (Female) event and will be riding a Session. As one of the country’s top downhill riders, Belgira hopes and prays she can bring home the gold in the 2019 SEA Games.IMT