LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Anti-Crime and Terrorism Through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. and designated Benguet caretaker congressman Eric Go Yap filed House Resolution No. 707 commending Joshua Pacio, Stephen Loman and Edward Folayang, all of the prestigious Team Lakay mixed martial arts gym, for their exemplary contributions in the promotion and advancement of sports in the province and to the field of mixed martial arts in the entire country and the different parts of the world.
Pacio is the current ONE strawweight champion, Loman is the current Brave Combat Federation bantamweight champion and Folayang is a former URCC welterweight champion and former ONE lightweight champion and served as the country’s poster boy for mixed martial arts.
Yap pointed out that the people and officialdom of the province take pride of the achievements of the 3 mixed martial arts champions as they represent the values that they were able to hone in the province through the years of being involved in the combative sport.
“We recognize their talents, skills and passion for mixed martial arts. Malaking karangalan ito para sa Benguet at para sa bansa. Lalong nakikilala ang galing ng Pinoy sa eksena na mixed martial arts sa pamagitan ng nga champions na nagpamalas ng kanilang galling sa ibabaw ng octagon,” Rep. Yap stressed.
The caretaker congressman asserted that the mixed martial arts champions already brought great pride and joy to the Filipinos when they represented the country in various international competitions but they did more than that, they excelled in their respective divisions, waving the Philippine flag proudly.
Yap expressed his all-out support in promoting mixed martial arts not only in the province but also in the entire country that will help inspire Filipino youth to embrace the same wherein it might be the much awaited sport that will bring to the country the long overdue gold medal in the Olympic Games that happens every 4 years.
“Layunin natin na maging sentro ng mixed martial arts ang Benguet, na kung saan maaring magsanay ang baguhan at professional na fighters na hangad na pagbutihin ang kanilang husay sa larangan na ito at hangad na magbigay ng karangalan sa ating bansa. Ating tinutungo na ditto mismo sa ating probinsiya ng Benguet na manggaling and pinakamagagaling at pinakamatitikas na mixed martial arts fighters hindi lang sa bansa kundi sa buong mundo,” Yap added.
He disclosed that he will make the necessary representations with the provincial government for the segregation of a portion of its property in the Wangal Sports Complex to serve as a site of the proposed mixed martial arts gym that he intends to put up to serve as an added training facility for interested mixed martial arts fighters to hone their skills and knowledge and to entice the youth to be actively involved in the sport instead of being exposed to the use of prohibited drugs.
Yap assured the Team Lakay fighters and coaches that he will try to source out funds to facilitate the construction of the proposed mixed martial arts gym in the Wangal Sports Complex to pave the way for the aggressive promotion of the sport in the grassroots level and to discover young and upcoming talents on the said sport which is now fast becoming one of the favorite combative sports in the world.
By Hent