SURF’s UP. Small waves cannot stop this local surfer from having fun in Cloud Nine, General Luna, Siargao Island on Thursday (Sept. 25). Organizers of the 20th Siargao International Surfing Competition postponed the contest to Sept. 26 due to small swells.MindaNews stock photo by Roel N. Catoto
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By Ben Serrano,
Correspondent

BUTUAN City – Surigao del Norte’s 1st representative Jose Folcadilla is urging all surfers from this province to prepare and train hard and aim for gold in the coming Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

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Francisco Jose Folcadilla “Bingo” Matugas urged top Siargao surfers who hauled and won several gold, silver medals in various past International Surfing Comptetitions to prepare and train for possible Philippine participation in surfing in 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Matugas who hails from Siargao Island held meeting recently with the officials of Siargao Island Surfers Association headed by the association’s president Wilmar Melindo in discussing possible participation of top Siargao surfers in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Matugas’ parents incumbent Surigao del Norte Governor Sol Folcadilla Matugas and former Congressman Francisco “ Lalo” Matugas were natives, born and raised in Siargao Island, the surfing capital of the country.

Surigao del Norte Governor Sol Matugas before joining politics, served first as school teacher in Siargao Island then slowly rising from ordinary teaching ranks, became school head, principal, district supervisor and Schools Division Superintendent then later became the first Dep-Ed regional driector from Siargao.

“The result of the meeting with the Siargao surfers particularly with the Cloud 9 Surfers Association by which I am a member bore positive results as they promised to honed further their skills  and learned new techniques as some of the best susfers in the World are frequently visiting Siargao. We decided to further link with other surfing groups in the country and form a Federation of Philippine Surfers,” says Rep. Bingo Matugas.

Matugas claimed that a Philippine Surfers Federation will be form soon that will be composed of surfers from various surfing areas in the country like from Baler, La Union, Borongan Samar Leyte, Pagudpod Ilocos Sur, Cabugao Ilocos Sur, Mati Davao Oriental, Palawan, Zambales, Daet Bicol, Cantanduanes, Gubat Sorsogon, Manila Surfers Club  and the Cloud 9 surfers Associaition.

Matugas added that it would be easy to get the best of the best Philippine surfers from the Philippine Surfers Federation who will select the best and brightest surfers to compose the Philippine Surfing Team that will compete the Tokyo Olympics.

“That way, the training of the surfers will get its funding from Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as PSC now will be responsible also in the training process to get the best of the best in Philippine surfing. Olympic medals have been so elusive for so long to our participating Philippine athletes and the only chance now is surfing having won gold and silver medals for so long in various international surfing competition as some even became World Champions in surfing,” Matugas concludes.

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