Baguio City High School’s 16 on16 event will be held two days before the grand centennial celebration of the biggest public high school north of Manila.
Sixteen on 16 is a recognition for athletes, coaches, and even media who all BCHS graduates, students and even employees, during the Alumni Athlete Awards (Triple A) and Athlete of Baguio CitiHi awards on Tuesday, two days before the school’s centennial celebration on Thursday.
Asian Games silver medalist Daniel Parantac will lead the march-of-heroes in the 3PM affair at the school’s library where he will receive the top award from principal Romulo Flora, Parents Teachers Association, Inc. president Eddie Carta and a representative from the alumni association, the MBBAAI.
Parantac is a two-time South East Asian Games gold medalist in taijijian/taijiquan aside from earning other medals in international competitions starting as a junior player in 2005 right after graduating from BCHS, which was founded in June 16, 1916.
Parantac is joined by RP wushu team member Thornton Lou Sayan, a fellow University of the Cordilleras (UC) student, who will be honored for winning a silver medal in last year’s Southeast Asia Games (SEAG) in Singapore.
It was actually a redemption for Sayan, a 2009 graduate, who was left out in the 2013 SEAG for a disaster in the 2011 edition when his sword got entangled with his fuzhuang as he was about to finish his routine.
“His time is expected to come,” said former coach PJ Cueto, who said that Sayan is one of the best students he had handled for taking off with his left foot instead of the usual right.
“Dalawang players lang sa mundo ang gumagawa niyan at isa diyan si Thornton,” said the now US-based Cueto, who teaches wushu taolu there with former Baguio-based wushu practitioners.
Kareel Meer Hongitan will also be one of the awardees during Tuesday’s celebration but will miss it since she flew to Antalya, Turkey Friday for the last Olympics Qualifier.
“Sayang nga po at wala po ako diyan at heto po last qualifier na po eto para sa Brazil Olympics,” said the 2014 graduate now enrolled at the University of Baguio (UB).
The list of major awardees include De La Salle University blocker Majoy Baron, a member of class 2012, as well as taekwondo world champion Justin Kobe Macario, who was cited earlier this year by the Philippine Sportswriters Association. The incoming grade 9 will receive the Athlete of Baguio CitiHi award or ABC.
Former Gintong Alay middle distance runner Danilo Alimbuyao is also a major awardee as he will bag the Coach of the Year trophy. He is the athletics coach of nearby University of the Cordilleras and is the city’s head of the Philippine Track and Field Association.
Citations will be given to other excelling local athletes led by archers Loren Chloe Balaoing and Shanaya Rose Dangla of UB. The two, members of class 2015 are currently ranked fifth and sixth in the country. Balaoing took five gold medals in the 2015 Palarong Pambansa and came home to receive the valedictorian’s medal in the commencement program and deliver the valedictory speech.
UB setter Cherry Atuban and attacker Mary Ann Atuban (2015) as well as UC’s Rochelle Degay will be cited for their efforts in volleyball. The three are members of the Baguio Summer Spikers now seeing action in the Shakey’s V-League. The older Atuban and Degay are members of BCHS class of 2012 with Baron, their teammate as well for Team Baguio and the Cordilleras until their graduation.
Special Program for Sports Grade 9 student Charmaine Angela Villamor will get the ABC citation for archery after her 1-1-2 gold-silver-bronze performance in the Palarong Pambansa last April.
Special awards will be given also to archery coach John Hongitan, father of the awardee, whose stable is laden with talents including Villamor. Football coach Aris Bocalan will be the other awardee.
Two mediamen focusing on sports coverage will complete the cast of 16. SunStar Baguio editor Roderick Osis will be the awardee for print, while Bombo Radyo station manager Jordan Tablac will get the award for broadcasting. The two, who are members of class 1996 where they were classmates and also later in college at the nearby UC, will follow former councilor and Gintong Alay camp director Narciso Padilla (class 1949), who will present them their awards, the recipient of the award during the inaugural Triple A last year .
By Pegion Lobien
