“ONYOK” VELASCO TO GRACE PSC-PACQUIAO CUP VISAYAS PRELIMS IN BAGO CITY FEB. 3-4

By LITO DELOS REYES

Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco (above), 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics silver medalist while 1997 SEA Games gold medalist Larry Semillano (right) with his former coach Rogelio Fortaleza are reunited now in Bago City for the Visayas Prelilms of the PSC-Pacquiao Amateur Boxing Cup on Feb. 3-4. (Photo by LITO DELOS REYES)

BAGO CITY (Feb. 1) – Olympian Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco is arriving here in his hometown to grace the two-day Visayas Preliminaries of the on-going PSC-Pacquiao Amateur Boxing Cup slated on February 3 and 4 at the Bago City Sports Coliseum.

This was confirmed by supervising technical director Rogelio “Roger” Fortaleza of the Philippine Sports Institute.

Velasco won the silver medal in the light flyweight division during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics and a gold medal in the 1994 Asian Games held in Hiroshima, Japan.

His older brother Roel Velasco, a light-flyweight boxer also won a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics.

Bago City is known as the “Boxing Capital of the Philippines” for being the hometown also of the other Olympian boxers Reynaldo Galido, Isidro Vicera, Leopoldo Cantancio, Roger Ladon and Larry Semillano.

In fact, Semillano was coached by Fortaleza when he won the gold medal in the 1997 Southeast Asian Games held in Jakarta. Semillao also took a silver medal in the 2007 SEAG and also saw action in the Sydney Olympics.

Semillano, 41, is now already the head coach of the Bago City boxing team that will see action this weekend.

“We’re hoping to discover the next Olympians here,” said Fortaleza, who also has his own memorable moments here in Bago City.

He was the youngest among the four fighting Fortaleza brothers, who each captured a gold medal to give the Far Eastern University boxing team the over-all title in the National Youth Amateur Boxing Championship.

The other Fortaleza brothers were Rey, Renato and Ricardo.

“Memorable din sa akin itong Bago kasi dito ako unang nanalo ng gold medal sa national competition,” said Fortaleza, who also became a coach and secretary-general of the country’s amateur boxing association.

Aside from Bago, also expected to join are teams from Bacolod City, Morcia, Sipalay, Victorias, San Carlos City, Escalante, Cebu, Mactan, Lapu-Lapu, Leyte, Iloilo, Tacloban and Bohol.

Bago City Mayor Narciso Yulo has promised to give the visiting teams and guests a memorable experience in his city, which is billed as the “Home of Historical and Natural Treasures”.

The opening program and Day 1 of the two-day competition is on Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. It is free to the public. The event is sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission in coordination with the office of Sen. Manny Pacquiao.