Following their victories in the 2023 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet (WVRAAM) in Aklan and the 2023 Pre-Palaro National Qualifying Cluster 3 meet in Cebu City, the Bacolod Tay Tung High School (BTTHS) Thunderbolts athletes paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on June 27.
The BTTHS Thunderbolts team were composed of their volleyball elementary and secondary girls, athletics, swimming, gymnastics, and basketball elementary and 3×3 players.
Several athletes from BTTHS will be representing Negros Occidental and Western Visayas at the Palarong Pambansa 2023 competition in Marikina City from July 29 to August 5, most notably 7-year-old Reaiah Patricia Tan, who won six gold medals in gymnastics during the WVRAAM 2023 in Aklan last April.
During their visit, the governor reminded the BTTHS student-athletes to prioritize their academic performance before sports participation by finding a balance between both fields. He also congratulated the team for their recent accomplishments and wished them the best of luck at their upcoming participation in the 2023 Palarong Pambansa competition.
In addition to the BTTHS Thunderbolts athletes, three Negrense boxers also visited Lacson following their victories at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 5 to 7. They were Riza Pasuit (30), Rogen Ladon (29), and Ian Clark Bautista (28).
A native of La Carlota City, Pasuit was a silver medalist in the 63-kg category, Bago City’s Ladon won silver in the 52-kg category, while Bautista of Binalbagan earned a gold medal in the 57-kg category.
Also joining the list of athletes who paid Gov. Lacson a visit was Fide Master Sander Severino, a 37-year-old para-athlete who earned silver (Rapid Individual, Rapid Team Event, and Standard Team Event), and gold medals (both in Blitz Individual and Team Categories) in chess event at the recently concluded 12th ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia on June 3 to 9, 2023. Hailing from Silay City, he is part of the Philippine Para-athlete Team and is preparing to participate in the 4th Asia Para Games competition in Hangzhou, China on October 22 to 28, 2023.
Provincial Sports Office head Anthony Carlo Agustin was also present during the courtesy visit together with coach Aden Nietes (Provincial Boxing Event Coordinator), coach Leo Romitman (Provincial Chess Event Coordinator), BTTHS principal Engr. Philip Carpina, BTTHS Thunderbolts Volleyball Teams manager Boy Montalbo, and BTTHS Thunderbolts Basketball Teams manager Brian Tan.*
