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Tour Pilipinas, biggest ever
The boys of summer will hit the road with smaller gears and
a higher cadence as the Tour Pilipinas comes off the wraps
March 18.
Cyclists who have gone through several qualifiers will battle
it out for honors in 17 stages spread over 21 days. A total
of 84 cyclists, led by 2003 champion Arnel Quirimit, will
be flagged off in Sorsogon on March 18, when close to 500
members of the Tour travel to Bicol in a 100-vehicle caravan.
The qualifying events were held last year. The winners were
drafted by the various teams to see action in the country’s
biggest cycle spectacle ever. It will cover more than 2,700
kilometers, 300 kilometers longer than last year’s event,
before it ends on Palm Sunday in Manila.
Aside from the overall team and individual classification
crowns, also at stake is the King of the Mountain and Sprint
King titles.
Bert Lina, chairman of both Tour Pilipinas and Air 21 that
will principally bankroll the multi-stage race, said the 2004
edition will be formally launched next month.
“We have formulated a bigger and longer tour this
year, which we hope to be as successful as the inaugurals
of its revival in 2003,” said Lina. The cyclists will
run the gamut of Stage 1, Sorsogon to Naga, March 18; Stage
2, Naga to Daet, March 19; Stage 3, Daet to Lucena, March
20; Stage 4, Lucena to Tagaytay, March 21; Stage 5, Tagaytay
to Quezon City, March 22; Stage 6, Quezon City to Olongapo
City, March 23; Stage 7, Olongapo City to Dagupan City, March
24; Stage 8, Dagupan to San Jose, Nueva Ecija, March 25; Stage
9, San Jose to Santiago, Isabela, March 26; Stage 10, Santiago
to Tuguegarao, March 27; Stage 11, Tuguegarao to Aparri, March
28; Stage 12 Aparri to Laoag, March 29; (rest day on March
30) Stage 13, Laoag to Vigan, March 31; Stage 14, Vigan to
Baguio, April 1; Stage 15, Baguio to Baguio, April 3; Stage
16, Baguio to Tarlac, April 3; and Stage 17, Manila circuit
race (Quirino Grandstand-Roxas Boulevard), April 4.
Chess: Trouble on the home front
 Filipino
chess masters made their mark in recent international tournaments,
besting the region’s top woodpushers to reign supreme
on foreign turf. They chalked up individual team victories
in the Asian Zone 3.2a event, in the recent Southeast Asian
Games in Vietnam, and in European jousts.
At home, however, the chess scene is a little messy, with
Grandmasters Bong Villamayor and Joey Antonio asking the NCFP
to remove secretary-general Sammy Estimo from his post for
alleged mishandling of the organization’s funds.
On Monday, January 26, they and 20 other titled chess players
signed a letter-petition that was subsequently sent to the
chess governing body’s office.
NCFP president Mat Defensor scheduled a meeting to thresh
out the problems of the federation and asked the warring factions
to refrain from issuing statements to the media. But Antonio
and Villamayor persisted. They accused Estimo of withholding
the prize money that several teams and individuals had won
in previous events and complained about the lack of tournaments
for local players.
The beleaguered secretary-general brushed of the accusations.
He said Villamor, an enlisted man in the Philippine Air Force,
had merely coerced his teammates in the service into signing
the petition. He noted that International Masters Domingo
Ramos, Ronald Dableo, Barlo Nadera, Cristine Mariano and National
Masters Manny Senador and Rolando Nolte, all personnel of
the air force, comprise the bulk of the petitioners.
He added that Antonio and Villamor do not have the backing
of the majority of the Philippine chess community. International
Masters Ronald Dableo, champion of Asian Zone 3.2a, and Chito
Garma, as well as other FIDE Masters and National Masters,
who signed the petition, were confident their number would
rise in the coming days.
“Kaunti pa lang ang mga signatures,” said Garma,
“pero sinisiguro ko, marami pang chess players na lalabas
at tutulong sa amin.”
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