A surprise 1-2 finish by Oro’s Tan, Paragamac in PNG archery

By Jaime Joshua A. Frias II
Contributor

CAGAYAN de Oro can look forward to archery among the sports disciplines the local athletes can give it a try with better chances to excel in the national event.

This was proven recently by two Kagay-anon archers who made a surprising 1-2 finish in the 2023 Philippine National Games on December 21 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila.

Kenneth Tan, a pride of Barangay 13, captured the gold medal after scoring 581 points in the final ranking of the barebow male open qualifying round, while his compatriot Dem Paragamac bagged the silver with 565 to show.

The 51-year-old Tan told Gold Star Daily he could not believe what he achieved as he considered himself a neophyte in archery.

Tan said he learned and practiced archery for only seven months.

Plus, there was an emotional factor to consider as Kenneth was still grieving from the loss of his brother Dr. Carl ‘Caloy’ Tan who passed away on December 12 and was buried on December 16.

Kenneth left Cagayan de Oro for Manila the following day to catch up on the opening of the PNG’s archery competition.

After his conquest, he posted on his Facebook account to publicly express in dedicating the victory to his late brother.

“I dedicate this win to my late brother Dr. Carlos Benedict Adecer Tan. I would also like to thank my wife Tetel Tan and mama Lucy Adecer for supporting me. To my daughter Karla Francesca Tan and my son Liam, I wanted to inspire you that with perseverance and practice, everything is possible,” Tan said.

“To the LGU of Cagayan de Oro City, thank you for the opportunity to represent our city in the sport of archery. To my teammates Francis Popo Gonzales Arruiza and Archer Dem, nice playing with you. To coach Frankie Naranjilla for always encouraging me and the support. To God for giving me good health and strength. To all sponsors who supported us, thank you very much. To my in-laws Edgar Dangazo and Anita Dangazo, who are always ready to take care of Liam when I’m not around, thank you,” he added.

The more experienced Paragamac settled for silver behind Tan in the final ranking, but he was more than happy with their 1-2 finish. The 28-year-old Paragamac also finished with a bronze medal in the Olympic round Barebow Open Male.

Tan and Paragamac along with another Kagay-anon Francis Gonzales Arruiza could have won another medal in the team event by having them installed as the No. 1 seed.

But Tan was unable to play, owing to a scheduled flight back home.

“I can’t take the risk since all is unsure for me to come home if I consider to rebook my flight. Chances are, I will miss spending Christmas with my family and I’m still coping with my loss,” he said. (With reports from Lynde Salgados)