Month: February 2009

The New Gimmick

Like many Sunday mornings, my friends and training partners, Ani, Joey and George wake up in the dark to get to a morning race. And each time we get there, we are always pleasantly surprised by the number of people who like us choose to spend their Sunday morning at a race.

During a conversation with my friend Gap Legaspi. a neuro surgeon, but in the good-ol-days, the captain of the UP track team, he said to me, wow, everyone seems to be running these days and getting a running coach.

Me: Yes, I have a few good friends who are running coaches.

Him: Really? What do they teach? How do you teach someone to run?

Me: Gap, not everyone is a gifted runner like you. A lot of people have never run. They don’t know how to swing their arms, how to land on their feet, how fast or how slow to go..

Gap: So, everyone is getting a running coach these days?

Me: A lot of people who want to get started do. I personally recommend it when people start asking me details on the right running form. It’s good to know that you’re training properly. And if you already know the basics of running and are comfortable running, a running coach can take you to the next level “ running and racing longer distance, racing faster, training wisely

Gap: so, its true, running coaches are the new DIs.

Me: haha, yes, I guess, you can say that.

We went on to discuss how thrilled we were that more people where discovering the joy of running, the joy of being healthy, of being outdoors and feeling strong. These days, there is a race almost every weekend. My triathlete friends and I meticulously plan our race calendar for the year. We combine run races and triathlons.

My running and racing has taken me so many places. I have seen different parts of the country and other countries on my feet. Every run is an experience. Just the other week in Batangas, at the Milo 21k run, Ani, Joey and I were running up endless hills. I was wondering when our misery would end. Suddenly, someone shouted, “Malapit na, dalawang barangay na lang!

My friends and I get high on being fit. We are conscious of the food we eat, the air we breathe. We are thankful for good health. For people like us, this is our gimmick every weekend. Instead of saan ang gimmick? We ask each other:

Saan ang karera (where is the race)?
What distance are you doing?
Who’s joining?
Where are we eating after?

On the eve of my birthday, I will not be going out. I will be sleeping in, because the next day I will do a birthday run “ a marathon! And after that I will celebrate the good life.

This is the life I choose. This is the life my friends and I live.

Bike for Hope Davao

Davao City to Tagum CityI love Davao!

Davao City is so progressive. The first city with a Women’s Code. They also have an anti-smoking ordinance and a fire cracker ban. They are looking into establishing bike-lanes. And the most important part of this.. they implement their laws!

Meanwhile, Davao del Norte, is constructing a state-of-the-art sports complex in Tagum City. I saw the plans and was at the ground breaking on a previous visit. So very exciting. Ani del Leon, also conducted a Pinay in Action running clinic there. They are also pouring million of pesos into health care.

I was there for 3 days from January 29-31, 2009. My office and advocacy arm, Pinay in Action organized 25 seminars on health, breast feeding, immunization, women empowerment and running clinics for girls.

That was the tiring part and we couldn’t have pulled it off without my hard working and dedicated staff, the support of the local government units, particularly Davao City, thru the office of Mayor Rody Duterte and Davao del Norte Province, thru Governor Dolfo del Rosario, the NGOs and private sector.

The fun part was the 101 km bike ride from Davao City to Tagum City (where the provincial government of Davao del Norte is). There were also a lot of people who lined the streets to greet us, and as always many expressed shock to see women bikers.

We passed thru the beautiful banana plantation that just stretched on and on. It was a very calming bike ride, away from the heavy traffic, save for the aerial spray of fertilizer which flew right above us! There is actually a Davao City Ordinance banning this, but the case is currently pending in the Court of Appeals.

riding thru the banana plantation

For part of the ride, I rode and chatted with Fr. Amado Picardal

Riding with Fr. Amado Picardal

known as the Biking Priest. He bikes around the country for peace. His blog is full of interesting stories of his bike rides, his advocacies and his vocation as a priest and teacher.

An interesting side trip was the tour of the Nestle Experimental and Demo Farm for Coffee. I was told that it is the only experimental facility for coffee in the whole country! learning about different coffee varietiesFarmers come from all over the country to learn about improving their coffee business. We used to be an exporter of coffee but today, we cannot even meet our local demand 🙁 Sadly, Vietnam’s yield per hectare is much higher than ours, according to the National Coffee Development Board, which only tells us there is so much more to do.

Another stop I made was Barangay Sasa in Davao City where our triathlon national champ George Vilog hails from. As a young boy, he enjoyed riding his bmx bike and swimming in Coaco Beach. At 16, he competed in his first triathlon . In 2002, he became our national champion. Today, he is the silver medalist of the SEA games.

dsc_01161

George is a shining example of a young boy with very little means, who found his way to the top thru sports. George is currently developing local talents in Davao.

And so ended my Davao trip. Had to rush home to my girls after the ride and shift to mommy mode.

n.b. Bike for Hope is a project of  The Companero Rene Cayetano foundation which was put up by my dad the former Senator Renato Cayetano years ago. When he pased away, we continued it in his memory. We are on our 8th leg having covered various provinces in Luzon Visayas and Mindanao. By God’s grace, I hope to bring Bike for Hope to other parts of the country to continue spreading our advocacies on health, women empowerment, protection of the environment and youth development programs.

I Salute the Champ : Francis "Nino" Casey Alcantara

Early Monday morning, just when I felt I needed inspiration, I got a text message from my training partner, partner are you up? I am just at Tito Rommie’s house chatting with him and Nino, text me when you are ready to train.

My training partner (former tennis lover, now iron fool) Joey Torres with Nino
My training partner (former tennis lover, now iron fool) Joey Torres with Nino

I suddenly was no longer sleepy. I texted him right back and said, pick me up. I quickly dressed, grabbed yesterday’s newspaper that had Nino’s picture on it, my sign pen and my new flip. I wanted to congratulate a champion and get his autograph for my daughters who both play tennis.

And that’s how I met 16 year old, Francis Casey Alcantara. He looked like any other high school kid to be honest, except that he happened to be the 2009 Australian Open Junior Boys Doubles Champion – – the first Filipino to win a Championship in a Grand Slam Tennis Tournament. Nino is a lefty like me! But only when he writes.

What makes a champ? Is it genes and talent? Hours of training? Discipline? Commitment? Support? I think its all of the above.

Ask any coach and they will tell you they’ve seen lots of talents come and go. But without commitment and training, the athlete won’t get that far.

Rommie Chan, one of Philippine tennis long time sincere supporters, relates how he spotted this kid many years ago. He says he saw potential, but from experience he knew that it required major commitment and hours of training for this boy to move up.

Rommie Chan, me and Nino

When Nino was 13, Rommie Chan asked him how serious he was, desedido ka ba na ituloy-tuloy ito? Imagine at the tender age of 13, when most kids his age are just worrying about what to wear the next day, he was being asked to decide about his future.

And at 13, this young boy made a choice that he would forego normal things teen-agers do. He would practice every day after school and do whatever it took to succeed.

And this is where his mentors, supporters and coaches came in. Because Nino wanted to stay in school, Rommie Chan had to send his coaches to train him in his home town in Cagayan de Oro. During the summers and school breaks he came to Manila to train. His supporters funded his travels around the world so he could compete and hone his skills. Today, he is a high school senior in Xavier University, the only juniors player in the world’s top 30 junior tennis player who is still in school.

A few days ago he made history. He became the first every Filipino to win a grand slam tennis tournament (junior boys doubles).

But it doesn’t stop there. Being a junior’s champ is not enough for him and for all the people who saw him get this far. He dreams to compete on the center court of the grand slam tournaments, where the big boys play. And once again this teenager, at 16, has committed to put in long hours and do whatever it takes to get him to the next level.

What spirit this boy has – a Philippine icon at the age of 16. To honor him, I filed and sponsored Senate Resolution no. 860 commending him for his hard work and accomplishments.

I salute you Nino, and all those who made this happen “ your parents (his dad sadly passed away a few years ago), your mentors and coaches.

Galingan mo pa, maraming naniniwala at humahanga sa iyo.