SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) – Outstanding government employees who participated during the 2024 Friendship Games staged by the Association of Regional Executives Uno, Inc. (AREX Uno, Inc.) were recognized during the culmination ceremony held in this city on Jan. 28.
The sports festival was launched on Oct. 30, 2024, with the theme, “Solid One: Reconnecting, Building Linkages, and Synergy through Sports.”
It was participated in by numerous government employees from 30 regional line agencies, state universities and colleges, government-owned and controlled corporations, and government medical institutions across the Ilocos Region.
Sports events included during the festival were bowling, badminton, volleyball, basketball, target shooting, chess, as well as Mobile Legends.
Lawyer Crizaldy Barcelo, AREX Uno president and regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is hopeful that the players were able to imbibe the true virtues of sportsmanship, fairness, self-control, and persistence as the series of friendship games concluded.
Barcelo also noted, “We staged the sports festival to encourage teamwork and cohesion among participants, to boost overall productivity, raise self-esteem, recognize values, and promote an environment of healthy and open communication.”
For target shooting, Maricel Reyes of DENR won the women’s category while Napoleon Valeriano Cayabyab of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University championed the men’s category.
In bowling, the highest-pinning male player was Tristan Agbunag of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, while Rosalie Dumo of DENR was the highest-pinning female player; the highest double under the male category was Santos Flores of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and Julie Ann Mariñas of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was the highest in the women’s category; and Oscar Padua of DA earned the highest singles for men’s, and Mariñas again for women’s.
The DPWH was hailed as the overall champion for bowling and also secured victories for both the men’s and women’s brackets of Mobile Legends.
For badminton, Clarence Albert Ramolete of DENR dominated the men’s singles while Marille Guray of the Provincial Government of La Union won the women’s singles; Shanaine Antonio and Mary Ann Hidalgo, who are both from DPWH, championed the women’s doubles while Gerald Peter Gonzales and Ramolete of DENR took the top spot for men’s doubles; and for mixed doubles, Gonzales and Febe Calaoagan of DENR dominated the court.
Further, Clide Estrella of DPWH took first place in the chess men’s category, while Aprilyn Pagaduan of DA won in the women’s bracket.
The Philippine National Police won the volleyball championship while the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center dominated the basketball games.
Winners received trophies, medals, certificates, and cash prizes.
Ramolete, one of the winners, attested that players fostered camaraderie and friendly competitions during the sports festival.
“It also strengthened our linkages and promoted collaboration and support beyond our workplace,” he said in an interview.
The association’s president thanked all the members, the players and coaches, and the sports coordinators for the successful conduct of the previous year’s sports festival.
AREX Uno targets to continue the conduct of the event this year and the next.
AREX Uno Inc. is an institutionalized non-government organization composed of regional heads and executives of various government instrumentalities in the Ilocos Region that aims to assist in regional development and improve lives in the communities through synergy. (AMB/CGCC, PIA Region 1)
