BRINGING TRADITION and technology together, the Philippines raised the grand curtain on the biggest sporting event in the region at dusk yesterday.
In an opening ceremony filled with wondrous music, kaleidoscopic festival dances and audio-visual extravaganza, the 23rd Southeast Asian Games unfurled at the rain-soaked grounds of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo officially opened the 11-nation biennial meet, which the country previously hosted in 1981 and 1991.
“I present to you this gold medal which is the pure heart of the Southeast Asian athlete,” declared Ms Arroyo. “You are all winners in your own chosen sports, may you also be champions of peace. Let peace be our legacy, one heart, one heritage, one Southeast Asia.”
Held in a public park for the first time in the Games’ 46-year history, the parade of the Filipino athletes and sports officials — who are looking to finally snare the overall crown — expectedly drew the biggest applause during the ceremony.
Philippine flag-bearer Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski led the 500-strong contingent, resplendent in their royal blue-and-red barong tagalogs and prepared for the rains with their salakots.
The rites opened with the parade of the Philippine flag borne by 20 Boy Scouts from Sienna College, and the cheers rose in a crescendo when the country’s all-time best athletes marched in.
Manny Pacquiao remained a crowd favorite, but it was also a momentous sight seeing the Filipino boxing idol with US Billiards Hall-of-Famer Efren “Bata” Reyes, four-time world bowling champion Paeng Nepomuceno, Asia’s former track star Lydia de Vega-Mercado, Olympic boxing silver medalist Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, former pro basketball sensation Allan Caidic, SEAG swim great Eric Buhain, sharpshooter Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla, taekwondo star Monsour del Rosario, longtime long jump queen Elma Muros-Posadas, badminton Olympian Weena Lim and former ace swimmer Akiko Thompson.
“I’m very honored and excited,” said Cojuangco-Jaworski hours before the ceremony.
“It’s an honor that they still remember us,” added Thompson. “I really enjoyed just going around and promoting the SEA Games. I’m so touched to be included in the opening ceremony. It brings back a lot of memories.”
“I’m proud to be standing alongside the greatest athletes the Philippine has ever produced in different sport disciplines,” said Del Rosario.
Malaca?ang used the occasion to call on the opposition to observe a moratorium on political squabbling.
“We should only be one Team Philippines and let us concentrate on getting things done,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement. “Let us set aside political bickering even for the duration of the Games.”
The Games’ Sacred Fire was lit at the Grandstand by Olympian Antoinette Rivero, whose valiant efforts in the 2004 Athens Olympics endeared her to the nation
Rivero received the torch from world-rated equestrienne Toni Leviste in front of the Rizal monument.
The Filipinos’ spirited display of musical talent enthralled the local and foreign audience right from the start.
After the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and San Miguel Master Chorale — under the baton of maestro Ryan Cayabyab — played the Philippine national anthem, the Bayanihan Dance Company and the Ati-Atihan by the Jocson Tribe performed a colorful suite of tribal and folk dances from the country’s different islands.
The lively festival music and dance paved the way for the parade of athletes and sports officials from 11 countries competing in the nine-day Games.
The member-nations marched alphabetically, with delegates from Brunei coming in first, followed by Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
But the host nation naturally had the grandest entrance. Ati-atihan dancers, their bodies painted in gold, performed before the Philippine Team joined the other contingents.
The centerpiece of the production number was a fusion of pyrotechnics, audio-visual effects and performances by acclaimed dance troupes such as the Bayanihan Dance Company, Hotlegs, Dancemasters and Tony Fabella Dance Group.
The presentation, which carried the theme “One Heritage, One Southeast Asia,” told the story of a Southeast Asian boy’s journey in all 11 countries and his discovery of their common heritage. Singer Bayang Barrios portrayed Mother Earth.
Nine-year-old soprano Julia Abueva, granddaughter of National Artist Napoleon Abueva, sang the Games’ theme song “We’re All Just One”.
The original piece was composed by award-winning singer and songwriter Jose Mari Chan and written by renowned lyricist Rene Nieva.
The RP delegates’ ramie linen barong, which reflected the colors of the Philippine flag, was designed by international designer Eric Pineda, while the salakots were made of nito fiber manufactured in Romblon.
The ceremony closed with a rollicking ensemble performance of popular band Rivermaya and the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra. With a report from Reuben Ezra Terrado, contributor.
