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By Paul John Caña
Lured by its fine beaches and breathtaking ocean
waves, surfers have been flocking to Siargao for years. But a
different breed of sports and leisure enthusiasts descended on the
island paradise recently—instead of surfboards, they were carrying
fishing rods, tackle and bait. The first Siargao Invitational
Gamefishing Tournament attracted anglers from across the country and
the world, and it was a chance for the island to show off more than
its world-class waves.
The picturesque town of Pilar played host to the
tournament, and no less than President Gloria Arroyo was on hand for
the opening ceremonies. A total of 75 anglers from all over the
world turned up for the event, with representatives from Russia,
China, Canada, the US, Australia, the UK, Japan, Taiwan, Brunei and
the Philippines.
While Siargao has already built a reputation for
its near-perfect waves ideal for surfing, few are aware of its rich
natural marine resources. Forty-kilogram sailfish and 200 kilogram
blue marlin are regular fixtures about a mile offshore from March to
May. But scores of other fish, such as bolis (skipjack), barilis
(yellow fin tuna), tanguigue (Spanish mackerel), Pacific tuna and
morang (dolphinfish) are abundant year-round.
In the three-day tournament, each of the anglers
was assigned a motorized banca and was allowed from 5:30 a.m. to 4
p.m. to fish off the waters of Siargao. Competitors with the
heaviest catch in each of the five categories were awarded cash
prizes.
Leading the list of winners was Mar Tan who
hauled in an impressive 25.29 kilogram in the billfish category. He
took home P30,000. The second prize worth P20,000 went to Alex Ong
with 25.30 kilogram of catch while the third prize of P10,000 went
to Exequel Vergara who hauled a 23.25-kilogram catch. All three
winners are from the Philippines.
In the biggest Talakitok category, Filipino
Bobby Villaveja took home first place honors and P20,000 with a 3.30
kilogram catch. The second place went to Dimitry Churilo of Russia
with his haul weighing a total of 3.05 kilogram.
Three Filipinos were the winners in the biggest
dorado competition: Gonzalo Tan got the first place (P20,000) with
14.45 kilogram, Frank Dinsay, second place (P10,000) with 9.45
kilogram and Mar Tan, third place (P5,000) with 8.95 kilogram.
In the biggest wahoo or tanguigue category,
William Sison grabbed the lead and took home P20,000 with his
impressive 10.05 kilogram catch; Dimitry Churilo came in a close
second (P10,000) with 8.20 kilogram; and Lito Gempisaw lands on the
third place (P5,000) with 7.30 kilogram.
The final category was for the heaviest catch of
any other kind of fish, with the exception of shark, stingray,
puffer fish, dolphin and sea turtles or pawikan. Russian Yuri
Saminski won first place and P20,000 with a 14.40 kilogram haul;
Filipino Gonzalo Tan was second place (P10,000) with a 13.90
kilogram catch and Miguel de Leon, also from the Philippines bagged
the third place (P5,000) with his10.80 kilogram catch.
The tournament organizers, led by the office of
Surigao Del Norte Congressman Francisco Matugas, the municipality of
Pilar and the Department of Tourism, are hoping the event will
further boost awareness of Siargao’s vast underwater riches and
already are looking forward to a second edition next year.
Supporting the event are three of the
country’s most prestigious game fishing clubs: The Philippine Game
Fishing Foundation, the Philippine Sports Fishing Club and the
Silver Jack Fishing Club of Manila.
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