SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands — On an island long celebrated for its natural beauty and rising economic success, a new vision is taking shape, one that stretches beyond tourism and development and into the national sporting arena.
For the first time in its 36-year history, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) went to Dinagat Islands, underscoring what provincial leaders believe is the beginning of a transformation that could produce the country’s next generation of national athletes.
PSC Chairman Patrick C. Gregorio recently visited the province to personally inspect the sports development initiatives of Governor Nilo P. Demerey, Jr., a former national karate team member and multiple-time national open champion, who has set his sights on turning Dinagat into a regional training hub for combat and individual sports.
“I personally witnessed that Dinagat has a solid sports program and I believe 100% that with the vision of Mr. Nilo (Demerey), the province can really develop national athletes,’’ said Mr. Gregorio.
The PSC chief went out of his way to visit Dinagat despite the PSC’s busy schedule of hosting the World Surf League Championship Tour Philippines Pro in Siargao and came away impressed with what he saw.
Dinagat’s ambitious program centers on karate, wrestling, kickboxing, and pencak silat, disciplines in which the province has already begun producing medal-winning athletes despite limited facilities. The province is likewise hoping to build a steady program for tennis, swimming and track and field, among others.
Yet while talent exists, Mr. Demerey acknowledges that athletic potential can only go so far without the infrastructure and technical support required to compete at the highest level.
Standing atop a sprawling 12-hectare property overlooking Melgar Bay, Mr. Gregorio was shown plans for what could become the centerpiece of Dinagat’s sporting future: an international-standard track oval that may be paired with either an athletics field or football pitch, alongside a proposed Olympic-size swimming pool.
Those aspirations found a willing partner in Mr. Gregorio, who was accompanied by Philippine Aquatics, Inc. board of trustee and Dinagat consultant Dick Carmona, who has been helping champion the province’s sports development plans.
“I promise to be back, and I assure you that we will deliver the boxing ring I committed to Governor Nilo as we explore ways the PSC can support the proposed 12-hectare sports complex, including the planned track and field oval,” said Mr. Gregorio, drawing cheers from provincial and local government officials.
Dinagat, just an hour by boat from Siargao and the country’s next potential surfing hotspot, has only three tennis courts in the entire province, yet it produced a Palarong Pambansa bronze medalist. Its karate program, established barely five years ago, has already yielded medalists on the national stage.
Three athletes from karate and pencak silat are currently aspiring to enter the national training pool, while kickboxing continues to thrive through regional success. Wrestling, another growing discipline, now boasts a development pool of 50 young athletes.
For all of Dinagat’s natural advantages, the next step in producing national athletes will require modern facilities, qualified coaches, training equipment, and sustained grassroots programing, ingredients that have elevated sporting communities throughout the country. — Integrated Communications and Events Office