Held at Calicoan Island
TACLOBAN CITY-Surfers from La Union and Siargao dominated the 2023 Calicoan Odyssey Wave, the 2nd leg of the Next Gen Pilipinas National Surfing Tour, held at Calicoan Island, off Guiuan town in Eastern Samar.
The highly fancied teams both bagged three championship titles, while Baler, Aurora, received one award during the September 15 to 21 surfing competition that attracted 165 surfers from all over the country.
Winning the championship title for the men’s open shortboard was Eduardo Alciso of Siargao, with his teammate Jolina Longos winning the women’s shortboard category.
Their other teammate, Toby Espejon, led the junior shortboard category allowing him to win the championship.
For the La Union team, Mara Lopez dominated the junior shortboard category while Daisy Valdez won the women’s open longboard and Reynie Ventura was declared champion for the men’s open longboard.
Rommel Rojo of Baler clinched the championship for the master’s men.
Winners in the longboard categories both won P130,000, while those who won in the shortboard category won P43,000, and P30,500 for the master category.
Despite not winning the championship, some local surfers in the region showed an impressive performance making sure that they would be part in the final round.
Among them was 15-year-old Marionil Capacite of Borongan City who secured second place in the junior shortboard category.
Borongan City is set to host the fourth leg of the Next Gen Pilipinas National Surfing Tour this November.
The 2nd leg of the Next Gen Pilipinas National Surfing Tour is sanctioned by the United Philippines Surfing Association (UPSA) and presented thru the Tingog party list, Office of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and sponsored by the provincial government of Eastern Samar, Office of Eastern Samar lone district representative, 4Ps party-list, Department of Tourism, Borongan City and private partners Jolibee, Andoks, Nissan, Maui and Sons, Casa Nala, and local sponsors.
This hosting of Guiuan is the comeback of the national surfing tour in the municipality after it was temporarily stopped in 2020 due to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic.
The return of the national surfing tournament in Calicoan Island excites the local government unit of Guiuan as it will pave the way of its campaign to make the island the top surfing destination in the Visayas region.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
