The Island province of Romblom comes to life with a sporting spectacle to be remembered. Sef Cagoco was there soak up the atmosphere

The heat was harsh and suffocating that mid-after­noon. My eyes squinted, recoiling from the blind­ing sun. Summer was set­ting in, searing and blaz­ing as summer should – and I was the only one who seemed to mind.

Spectators came in the hundreds, spilling out of the bleachers on either side of the newly refurbished grandstand glistening white under the sun. Hundreds more were holding their position in a long line, waiting their turn to enter the open stadium – young athletes suited up in jacket and sweatpants and school bands in satiny ensemble. The vibrant colors they wore exploded on the vast field and against the expanse of a powder blue sky. All of them had been waiting for hours but the plane bearing some VIPs left Manila almost two hours behind schedule.

It was practically a red-letter day for the town of Odiongan and especially the entire island province of Romblon. It was the first time in 45 years that a regional athletic event was being held here and the people’s excitement was palpable.

This cluster of twenty islands is smack in the heart of the Philippine archipelago. Romblon lies on the Sibuyan Sea and is located 346 km south of Manila, which translates to a 45-minute ride via a light aircraft or about a half-day’s trip by ship. It is a known source of excellent quality marble comparable to Italy’s. The island teems with not only marble but also gold, granite, nickel, silica, mercury, zinc, copper, silver, limestone, sulfide, ores, kaolin, clay, magnesium and quartz.

Romblon once belonged to the Western Visayas then to Southern Luzon region. In 2002 when the latter was broken in two groups, Romblon became part of the regional grouping called Mimaropa, the acronym for its member provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. It is a humble third class province but it was witnessing a proud moment in its history. Hosting the Mimaropa Regional Athletic Association meet for 2009 from February 22 to 26 was a big deal. Managing the event required political mus­cle and considerable expense but it was pulled off with aplomb through the leadership of Governor Natalio “Jojo” Beltran III, as well as Congressman Eleandro Madrona.

“Romblon is a neglected province, largely overlooked and forgotten”, said Governor Beltran. This is something the first-term provincial governor is endeavoring to change. To put Romblon back into the country’s conscious­ness, Governor Beltran makes no qualms about using influence and connec­tion or spending huge sums of pesos to prepare the province for an enor­mous event such as this regional sports competition. He believes these are investments that will bear fruit economically for his beloved province over the long-term. Meanwhile in the short term it is re-instilling in Romblo­manons a sense of pride in themselves, their province and way of life. Theirs is a simple living in charming bucolic islands that is incredibly endearing largely because of the geniality of the local folks. People one passes by on the streets can hardly be called strangers because of the welcoming smile on their faces.

A middle-aged woman seated next to me in the grandstand enthusiastically cheered on Romblon’s contingent which was then entering the open field. “Go Romblon!” she shouted over and over. Then to no one in particular, in an attempt perhaps to explain her fervor, she added, “This might not happen again in a long time.”

People swarmed all the events held, even those in which homegrown players were not a part of, their eagerness made me feel like I was witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event. Athletes in high school competed in 17 sports events while those in grade school battled in 16.

The town of Odiongan came to a virtual standstill on the day of the championship matches, especially when Romblon’s players in elemen­tary and high school girls’ volleyball were vying for top place. The town was abuzz with anticipation the night before the games, I could hear people saying they will see each other early in the morning at the sta­dium.

That morning the sun rode high and bright on a nearly cloudless blue sky. Games were simultaneously being held on the wide field but Romblomanons’ eyes were closely glued on the two involving their kin. The softball and volleyball teams both had a twice-to-beat advantage and the crowd was optimistic they would triumph. However, Romblon’s boys’ softball team were playing against much bigger players from Ori­ental Mindoro who out-hit and outran them after seven innings in two face-offs. At the end of the match, the young boys walked from the field, arms around each other’s shoulders for comfort, some of them weep­ing.

The girls’ volleyball team was faring much better in spite of going against the formidable defending champions from Puerto Princesa in Palawan. The rafters shook with every shout, stomp and jump of the crowd. Both teams took one set each and by the third set the crowd was on its feet. The cheering competition between the supporters of the rival teams was as intense as that of the players on the court. Each side would roar over every ball contested and point scored. Occasionally they would taunt each other in good spirit. The game in the court was undeniably excit­ing, just as the one unfolding in the sidelines was interesting. Though young, both teams were skilled and tough but maybe morale boosted by the home crowd made a huge difference. Romblon unseated the de­fending champs in that game to much celebration.

At the final tally, Romblon finished fourth among seven teams in the elementary division and third in the high school category. During the opening ceremonies, various officials extolled the values of sportsman­ship, how playing the game is more important than winning it.

Jesli Lapus, education secretary, however, boldly challenged young ath­letes to aspire for more. “Excellence is okay; perfection is the goal.” Mi­maropa’s best athletes will compete with the country’s finest come April 26 to May 2 at the Palarong Pambansa, or the national games that is the gene pool of the country’s future contenders to international competi­tions. A role model for emerging athletes, es­pecially for Romblomanons is track and field star Elma Muros, hailed at the Southeast Asian Games in 1997, the heptathlon queen has her roots in the province.

Romblomanons expect their young athletes to do better in the years to come – and Gover­nor Beltran pledged more support for sports development – especially in swimming which had become a running joke among locals. Governor Beltran and his partner Congress­man Madrona built a P8 million Olympic-size pool, an attraction in itself, in the capital town of Romblon. Athletes, however, were not able to train or practice in the pool prior to the game. One person after the other told the story that swimmers were not used to a swimming pool, having practiced in open sea, so much so that they could not turn around properly at the end of a lap. A local blogger even said Romblon would have finished at a higher spot had they performed better in the swimming competition.

Disappointing losses and modest victories aside, the Romblomanons were on high spir­its throughout the five-day athletic meet – and rightly so, for they may very well be celebrat­ing a forthcoming renaissance.