LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Despite the modified enhanced community quarantine that prevents most people movement in this town, members of the Benguet dancesport team hope they could be in top shape when competition time comes on Independence Day, June 12 for the Jamili’s Scholarship Cup dancesport online competition.

“Hopefully we are already under (general community quarantine) GCQ come June 1,” team coach Charibelle Pingawan told RNG Luzon through private message.

Pingawanan wrote on her Facebook page: “I am looking for recommendations for a training venue for our Team (Baguio) since Benguet is under MECQ until (May) 31 and still uncertain of our quarantine classification this June.”

Pingawan said that training under MECQ has been difficult since the whole province was declared the previous week which was downgraded to GCQ before the town government declared a localized MECQ to contain spread of the virus that had placed their training on hold anew.

The local government actually declared the town under MECQ last May 23 and will last until May 31.

After the call for help, Pingawan was able to secure a place in Baguio Friday where they could train for the June 12 and 13 Jamili’s competition. They are also preparing for the Korea Open on June 27.

If the town will still be under MECQ come June 1, “hopefully the (local government unit) LGU will grant us a permit (to train),” she added.

While the team has difficulty in staging their serious training, the community started to help them financially for their expenses like costumes and food during the two whole day competition.

“We are happy that the community is supporting us already,” said Pingawan.

Groups have set up donation boxes for the team like the one the team last week got from barangay Alapang.

The team in fact opened the barangay Alapang donation box that contained P100, P50, P20 and even coins.

“We would like to thank the indigenous peoples, farmers and officials of barangay Alapang,” Pingawan said on the video posted on her Facebook page as well as on the walls of her athletes.

Early this month, the Benguet dancesport team took home a gold, a silver and four bronze medals in the Manila Open Online Dancesport Competition 2021 at the Quads Fitness Gym here.

Partners Mico Dumalos and Mark Benter provided the lone gold for the team after silver medal finishes in their first two online competitions this year.