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Issue13 Nov 2015

HUGELY SUCCESSFUL LINGAWDUWA Guapo ug Guapa and Irong Kagiron Declared Joint Winners

Two not just one tribu raised the Tahanang Pilipino LingawDuwa Cup at the conclusion of the Filipino Sporting Event of the Year on November 21, 2015. Tribu Guapo ug Guapa and Tribu Irong Kagiron both gained 15 accumulated points when results of all the games were tabulated by Dolly Den Haan, chief tabulator. Instead of breaking the tie, Dimple Espenido and Mikki Guantero, leaders of the two teams respectively, through a handshake agreed to share the title as overall champions and the trophy. Tribu Guapo ug Guapa also accepted the task of hosting the next LingawDuwa.

Hamilton-based radio host and director Nonoy Molina congratulated the (organising) team saying, “You've done an awesome service to enhance our heritage and culture!” Nanette Carillo, of Scot Trust, who acted as one of the judges in the pre-game contests described the event as “wonderful and successful.”

LingawDuwa kicked off with a colourful parade featuring the ten tribus in their uniforms led by their respective chieftains. Barangay Putyukan was voted as best tribu uniform with their banner using recycled materials adjudged a winner. Tribu Igot-Igot took the best cheering award with a 1

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spirited performance, while Ching Mandawe of Tribu Bakting Kiat earned the best chieftain in costume. Tribu Kutsero was recognised for having the biggest delegation.

During the opening ceremonies, Kayth Alex and Jeydi Parado (of T-Kids) sang the event’s theme song, “A Song of Peace” with the audience providing the rhythm by clapping. Organiser Mel Libre, chairman of Tahanang Pilipino Aotearoa Trust, welcomed the participants, at the same time, thanking them for their support to the event. The tug-of-war that symbolised the formal start of the competition showed the tenacity of the athletes as they broke the rope in two seconds.

The various events were played throughout the day, except during noontime when participants partook of lunch picnic style, and when MasterChef NZ runner-up Leo Fernandez appeared live with an interview by Bayaniz columnists Alvin Soniega and Ma Krizia Ledesma-Libre and cooking demonstration of two recipes. Chef Leo charmed the audience with his humor, downto-earth demeanor and skillful presentation.

Nida Gray Bond and Elmer Cerna initiated the raffle and gave away prizes to lucky ticket holders who waited until the closing ceremonies for the major prize of a Philippine Air Line ticket Auckland-CairnsAuckland that was won by Lucas Sirilan. PAL executive Didi Virata picked the winning ticket.

While there were hiccups in some of the games, these were overshadowed by the enthusiasm and excitement both of the players and their supporters.

While most of the adults and youths were seriously contesting for honours, the kids, according to game managers Chichi Abadingo and Jam Parado, had the time of their lives discovering games that were new to them.

During the closing ceremonies, Vice Consul Virgie Napao Araneta Russell, who delivered in flawless Pilipino, made an emphatic commendation to the organisers for their initiative and to the participants for their active participation saying, “Ang galing talaga ng Pinoy! Mabuhay po tayong lahat!”

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MESSAGE OF THANKS In behalf of the organisers, let me express our deepest gratitude to all for the support extended to LingawDuwa.

The turnout was overwhelming though the weather was somewhat nasty throughout the day. All the tribus came prepared in their uniforms with a number going the extra mile with creative recycled banners, thematic chieftain costumes and energised cheering.

While there were hiccups in some of the games, these were overshadowed by the enthusiasm, merriment and fellowship among the players and their supporters. There was a sense of community, of family, of brotherhood, illustrated by a “jack ‘n poy” to settle a tie and a handshake to agree as joint over-all winners. I must commend Mikki Guantero of Tribu Irong Kagiron and Dimple Espenido of Tribu Guapo og Guapa, for their decision to be co-winners, a first in the short history of LingawDuwa. What beautiful example to all participants especially the children for demonstrating sportsmanship, pakikisama and bayanihan.

There are still many things we can do to make LingawDuwa better, and the organisers in consultation with the tribe leaders will meet to address kinks.

What is important is that we were able to attain our objective in promoting Filipino culture and heritage through the Pinoy indigenous games. From the wonderful photos taken by Edu Ong, I saw the smiles, the joy, the understanding, the camaraderie, the love of family and strangers, precious things we all contributed to happen.

To all the tribus, visitors, supporters of the event, committee members and sponsors, our sincere gratitude for without you LingawDuwa would not have been possible. You are more than winners, you are heroes.

Mel B Libre Chairman, Tahanang Pilipino Aotearoa Trust 3

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As part of the expansion of its network in the Oceania region, flag carrier Philippine Airlines will launch flights from Manila to Cairns, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand beginning December 1 this year.

PAL will operate four flights weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) to serve the Manila-Cairns-Auckland route, utilizing the 156-seater Airbus A320.

PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Jaime J. Bautista said, "The route will stimulate passenger traffic along three travel streams - Manila and Cairns, Manila and Auckland as well as Cairns and Auckland. The new service allows PAL to cater to the travel needs of business and leisure travelers and showcase its distinct brand of service marked by Filipino warmth, charm and hospitality. With close to 40,000 Filipinos residing in New Zealand, the new service is their convenient link to their home country-the Philippines."

"Upon arrival in Manila, passengers may enjoy the capital city for a few days then connect to any of the 67 other destinations (30 domestic and 37 international) in the PAL network. In the long term, the service will drive traffic between Southeast Asia and New Zealand,� he added.

The six-hour flight to Cairns - PAL's fifth Australian destination - departs Manila at 11:45 PM (MNL time) arriving in Australia at 08:00AM (local time) the following day. The one-hour stopover allows PAL to pick up passengers from Cairns for the continuing journey to Auckland.

Arrival in New Zealand is at 4:00PM (local time).

Flights from Auckland depart on the same days at 6:30 PM (local time), arriving Cairns at 10:30 PM (local time). After a brief stopover, flights depart from Cairns, arriving Manila at 3:30AM (MNL time), the following day. (Taken from the Philippine Airline website)

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The Official Winners of LingawDuwa2015 GAMES Kids Piko-Barangay Putyukan LuksongTinik - Guapo ug Guapa Luksong Lubid - Itoy sa Irong Kagiron Batolata - Barangay Putyukan Adults (Individual) Dama – Rollie Espenido,Guapo og Guapa Sungka –Gib Averia, Kutsero Jolen – Mamert Sumagaysay, Kutsero Takyan - Igot-Igot Adults (Group) Batolata - Guapo og Guapa Siatong - Irong Kagiron Patintero - Irong Kagiron Dakup-dakup - Irong Kagiron Kariling - Irong Kagiron Overall Winners Irong Kagiron Guapo ug Guapa

PRE-GAMES Best Cheering – Igot-Igot Best Tribu Uniform – Barangay Putyukan Best Tribu Chieftain Attire – Bakting Kiat (Ching Mandawe) Best Banner (using recycled materials) – Barangay Putyukan Biggest Delegation –Kutsero

Tabulated by: Dolly Den Haan

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From the Sidelines # In the issue 9 of GAME ON newsletter we wrote, “No rain, no storm can stop LingawDuwa from happening on November 21, 2015 in Henderson Intermediate School, Auckland. That is how determined the organisers and tribal leaders are to ensure the successful conduct of the third edition of the Filipino Sporting Event of the Year.” That was prophetic because on that day, it was rainy as it was stormy, yet in the early hours of November 21, Dexter Ycong was already busy setting up the sound system, while overall coordination committee member Elmer Cerna opened the gates for entry to Henderson Intermediate School. The rain stopped during the parade and came back slightly in the afternoon. # Ferdie Esclamado, host of the Opening Ceremonies, managed both the parade and the program without a hitch. Everyone just had so much fun with the presentations. # The oath of sportsmanship in Pilipino was led by Nick Salas followed by the tug-ofwar, the symbolic start of the games, with both sides falling down as the rope broke. # Most of the players got excited with the presence of a film crew from Satellite Media, producers of the TV series, “Neighbourhood” shown on TV One on Sundays at 11:00am. The crew filmed the different games, and said that they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. # MasterChef NZ runner up Leo Fernandez, who made a food presentation, is not just a culinary star, but a gentleman extraordinaire endearing himself to the crowd with his cooking expertise, humility, wit and charm.

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# Personalities including Miss Universe NZ second runner up Gabby Manaloto, Western Union Heroes for Better finalists Agnes Granada, Mauro “Ka Uro” Oreta and Nanette Carillo, Scot NZ’s Mike de Boer, Hamilton radio host Nonoy Molina, Uragonz Ednalyn Borja, NZPBC’s Lito Banal, singing priest Fr Elric Jorquia, Green MP Denise Roche, Vice Consul Virgie Russell, Sto Nino’s Oscar and Miriam Batucan, Tahanang Pilipino’s Dr Tony and Cora Noblejas, Nida Gray Bond and Theresa Arroyo mingled with the crowd. # Dolly Den Haan, the official tabulator, kept her composure as tribu players questioned some of the reported results. She said that she could not just imagine herself tabulating the Philippine elections with the experience that she had in LingawDuwa. She said this with a smile. # Tuko leader Alex Andales pointed to Engkantong Bangis kapitan Kim Angelo as a passionate player who rightfully fought for his team by pointing out inconsistencies in scoring. Kim is a true leader in the likes of Richie McCaw. # Game managers will tell you that it is not easy running an event, as players and supporters question their decisions due to the modified rules. # In times of need, there were people who stepped in to help game managers run their assigned events, to mention a few, Putyukan’s Roland Abadingo and Irong Kagiron’s Glenn Veloso. # Tuko’s Ado Flores commended the team that managed the traffic. These unsung heroes were Victor Hebia, Rollie Espenido and Elmer Cerna. # Kutsero nzpbc had a first aid team that tended minor injuries and artists providing face painting for the children.

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# Philippine Airlines executives headed by Didi Virata attended the event and served as judges in the pre-game contests and raffled off the PAL Auckland-Cairns-Auckland ticket that was won

by Lucas Sirilan. During the event, they had a reunion with former PAL employees who have migrated to Auckland including Julie Valencia, member of the Over-all Coordinating Committee. # Fara Ortiz who served as chairman of the awards committee had her enthusiastic daughter, Samantha, assist in handing the awards to most of the winners. Thank you, Sam. # Bad News No 1: The vehicle of one of the members of Tribu Guapo ug Guapa suffered a broken windshield from an unknown culprit. While there is no suspect, it is possible that it could be an outsider who must have been disturbed by the amplified announcements through the duration of the event. The good news is that the damage was covered by insurance. # Bad News No 2: The aftercare committee scourged the premises for trash when the event concluded. There was minimal trash collected in line with the declaration of a “Zero-Trash Zone”. Sadly, we failed to check the school aluminium trash bins that were discovered by the school authorities to be full of rubbish of all kinds. We were penalized $70. A lesson learned. # The event turned out to be self-sustaining thanks to the many sponsors and benefactors who believed in its objective of promoting Filipino culture and heritage. # Leo Fernandez was thankful for the invitation extended to him. He said that he was glad to meet people who followed his journey in MasterChef NZ. Debbie Libre served as chaperon and reported that people, Kiwis and Filipinos, recognised Leo when they went to Chico’s, Chicken Republique and Piha and even when he walked in the streets. # The organisers received many messages of thanks as well as encouragement to make the next LingawDuwa bigger. For instance, NZPBC has committed to make the event part of their organisation’s annual activities.

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LINGAWDUWA IN PHOTOS BY EDU ONG THE TRIBUS Barangay Putyukan

Tribu Dabarkadz

Tribu Igot Igot

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Tribu Bakting Kiat

Tribu Engkantong Bangis

Tribu Guapo ug Guapa

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Tribu Irong Kagiron/Tribu Itoy sa Irong Kagiron

Tribu Kutsero

Tribu Tiking Kwanggol

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LINGAWDUWA IN PHOTOS BY EDU ONG THE GAMES

Tubig-Tubig/Patintero

Siatong

Kariling

Dakup-Dakup/ Agaw Base

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THE GAMES

Sungka

Dama

Jolen

Batolata

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Takyan

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THE GAMES

Piko

Luksong Lubid

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Luksong Tinik

Batolata

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LINGAWDUWA IN PHOTOS BY EDU ONG THE WINNERS

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LINGAWDUWA IN PHOTOS BY EDU ONG RANDOM SHOTS

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LINGAWDUWA IN PHOTOS BY EDU ONG THE BEST SHOTS

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THANK YOU EDU ONG

Edu Ong is a professional photographer based in Auckland. He is passionate about photography as he is with travel. He has toured around the world equipped always with his every ready camera with a skillful eye for beautiful scenery, emotions of people and exciting motions.

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THEY SAID… “What a fantastic event! Thank you so much for inviting me. Next time I'll make sure I have more time.” - Denise Roche, MP Green Party “Congratulations Mel and Team LingawDuwa ... you've done an awesome service to enhance our heritage and culture!” – Nonoy Molina “(LingawDuwa) was such a wonderful and a successful event.” – Minda Prajes Villaver “Well-done!” – Nanette Carillo “Congratulations for the terrific job of coordinating the event! 2016 LingawDuwa will surely be even bigger.” – Carmencita G Bugash “It was cool for young Kiwis of Filipino ancestry playing the street games of their folks!”

– Ado Flores “Congratulations to the Lingaw Duwa Execom for organizing a fun filled event.” – Lito Banal “Congrats po sa lahat! God bless you all!” – Fr. Mario Dorado “(My daughter) Sam really had fun and would love to do it again. I'll invite some of her Cebuano friends.” – Fara Ortiz “We all had good fun and lots of reasons to laugh about...everyone involved were awesome--bayanihan at its best gyud!!” – Dolly Den Haan “Our Tribu had fun! Our muscles were brought to a test and we are still sore until now!

Haha! Til next year!” – Jam Parado “Next tym rules should be clearer and referees should have good knowledge of the game.” – Clarisa Isang “Saying it's a tough job is really an understatement, and the little hiccups Bro. Mel mentioned shouldn't take away from the real outcomes - fun, camaraderie, getting connected, and a bit of competition. Looking at what it was for the young people yesterday, it certainly was a day well spent (even if it takes time off from studying for exams at school over this couple of weeks). Great to see a lot more leadership and engagement from the young ones, which tells us we're getting what we are after. So hats off to the organising committee for successfully delivering LingawDuwa 2015! Until next year, God bless!” – Mikki Guantero

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