By Erwin M. Mascariñas
Correspondent .
General Luna, Siargao Island — Local surfers here showed off their skills in the epic semi-final and final rounds of the 20th Siargao National Surfing Cup after they dominated the national competition, Thursday.
Two of the top surfers from Siargao Island went head-to-head during the final rounds of the national surfing competition after competing against 96 Filipino surfers from Zambales, La Union, Baler, Ilocos Norte, Manila, Cantilan, Catanduanes, Davao Oriental, and Siargao.
John Mark Tokong who was ranked number 4 in the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PSCT) was crowned over-all surfing champ garnering 19.20 points against PSCT number 2 Edito “Piso” Alcala who had 17.60 points.
“I am very happy, I was hoping for this but now I can’t believe that I won the competition. Last year, I really did not do so well, so I’ve been training for a year and preparing for the PSCT,” said Tokong, 21-year-old local of Siargao Island.
Tokong’s surfing journey started when he was 6-years-old when he started surfing in Cloud 9.
“What started as a recreational sport in our town of General Luna, has evolved us to be able to compete against the best in the world. I’ve competed five times in Indonesia and then twice in Australia and then the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games in Japan,” said Tokong.
During the semi-final heat 1, Tokong went against Philmar Alipayo who ranks number 1 on the PSCT, besting Alipayo 16.00 points over 13.35.
In the 2nd heat of the semi-final rounds, Alacala defeated Neil Sanchez who ranked number 3 on the PSCT with 7.50 points over 5.45 points.
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
