IT was a long drive from Manila to Vigan in Ilocos Sur but it was definitely worth it for me.

Together with Philippine Sports Commissioner ( PSC) Fritz Gaston and his team, I went to Vigan for the Ilocos Sur Festival that had a traditional games by the province’s indigenous people as one of the 18-day festival’s many highlights.

In fact the time we spent there was too short to really enjoy this festival that the provincial government, headed by Gov. Jerry Singson put on to provide entertainment to the local folks who came out in droves to watch the different spectacles held inside the Quirino Stadium in Vigan.

Actually, there were several sports components to the festival as shared to me by the siblings Jester, special assistant on sports to the Governor, and Atty. Jannah Singson, the Governor’s Executive Secretary, grandkids of the family’s patriarch Chavit Singson.

Unfortunately, the elder Chavit was catching a flight in his private jet when we chanced on him after our meeting and Fritz was only able to say hello, and goodbye.

It turned out the traditional games that we watched last Monday was just one of the several sporting events included in the festival, but it was certainly the biggest as there were 23 LGUs that competed, with over a thousand registered participants contesting 17 events, some were familiar, a few were not.

Patintero, palo sebo, archery, trumpo, sumpit,and tug of war, and hitting a pot blindfold, were the more known but not if you look at their native names.

Kadang kadang, using walking sticks to move and race, was among the unknown by name until you see it.

But catching a pig inside a pen with all the participants blindfolded was one of the more exciting and watched event, though according to a PSC staff, in Palawan, a real wild boar was used in an open field.

All the natives were there to compete and not just to participate and when the awarding ceremonies were held at the park Monday night, I realized why, the cash prizes given out for both the individual and team awards were substantial and it was Candon that emerged overall champion.

The event was a good preview for what is to come by April as the PSC will hold its first regional Indigenous People(IP) Games also in Vigan with two other legs set in the Visayas, with Bacolod and GenSan in Mindanao being offered the opportunity to host the event that aims at preserving and promoting native culture,in this case, traditional games by IPs.

Vigan however is setting the bar high as it has its own local traditional games event as a regular part of its Ilocos Sur Festival that was launched only last year .

But as mentioned earlier, it turned out that as far as sports is concerned, aside from the traditional games, the festival featured other events though the recently concluded natives games had the biggest turn out in terms of participants.

Next was motocross racing that had around 400 riders, including visiting ones from other regions, Jester, with whom we spent the most time as he is deeply involved in sports programs in the province, shared the history of motocross in the province that started way back in the mid 70’s.

A bangkarera, involving native boats has also been made a regular part of the well appreciated festival , then the newest additional sporting event , horse racing .

The challenge for the organizers will be how to surpass the success of each year’s event, but seeing how committed the LGU is to developing sports in the province, I have no doubt that they will meet the challenge.

The PSC was invited to the festival principally because of the traditional games event but Fritz took the opportunity to meet the local people, stakeholders in sports as he calls them, to discuss in details the preparation for the Luzon leg of the IP Games.

And again, you have to be impressed with the all out support of the province for this event it is hosting for the first time.

The plan is to stage the event outside Vigan, in the uplands where the natives will be in their natural environment, which is definitely a good idea.

Then there was another meeting held Tuesday after lunch, this time with some stakeholders,this time in the proposed PSC regional training center in Vigan with kocal DepEd people , and local coaches committing to support the project together with the provincial government.

Fact is, it was Gov. Singson himself who personally reiterated to Fritz his province’s all out support and committment to partner with the PSC on the project.

He has been renovating the Quirino Stadium continuosly after it was flooded earlier last year I think.

In between the meetings, Fritz was also able to pay a courtesy visit to Vigan Mayor Bonito Singson who also shared his own ideas about sports in the city , working hand in hand with the provincial government, he is eyeing badminton , which he used to play, as one pet program.

It was a tiring trip indeed for me but I am already looking forward to future visits there and working out with similar sports loving people.

Actually on February 24, I will be back in the Ilocos region, in Laoag, for Mayor Mike Keon’s sand dunes race in La Paz, its second edition after debuting last year.

Looks like it will be a busy year for me in 2024.