The future of the Philippine taolu team looks good as four of their top players from the University of Baguio earned medals during the 113th Baguio City Wushu Invitational Wushu Campionships at the Baguio City High School gym last September 24 and 25 which also served as a reunion of wushu greats in the city.
Hans Lubguban led the Cardinals charge with two gold medals, while Andrei Roy Albert and Isaac Ugay took home a gold and a silver each in the taolu competitions.
Jose Angelo delos Trinos accounted for a silver and a bronze medal which was the same output of the wushu princess Jherisse Athena Calica, daughter of 2001 Southeast Asian Games wushi taolu gold medalist Jearome.
The edler Calica was the first local to take up taolu and in 2019 polayed in muay Thai waikru in the SEAG where he won a gold.
Aleca Breana Dumseng added a silver, while Jadi Masadao took a bronze medal.
The event organized by the Wushu Federation of the Philippines Baguio – Cordillera lead by fromer martial arts flick actor Tony Candelaria saw Wushu Beyond edge Accent Wushu by a gold medal to rule the event.
The team has nine-one-one (gold-silver-bronze) output, while Team Accent went home with an 8-12-6 haul.
Baguio Tai Chi Action Group finished third over-all with a 6-6-6 performance, followed by Wushu Genesis with a 2-2-6 output.
The rest of the teams are: UFC Wushu (2-2-1), Wushu Binondo (2-1-1), Wushu FCC – La Trinidad (1 gold, 1 silver), Wushu Jaguars (3 silver, 2 bronze) and Mhal Wushu Team (1 silver and a bronze).
Meanwhile, Team Banwar nipped Team Lakay Central in gold output to rule the sanda side.
Banwar went home with nine gold medals on top of two bronze medal to rule the two day event and against the team that now has all the top wushu sanda players including legends Sangiao and Eduard Folayang.
Team Lakay went home with a 7-4-1 medal haul.
Host BCNHS took third place with a 2-5-11 performance followed by Pinget National High School (2-4-3).
Rounding up the top five in the event participated in by 15 teams is UB with two golds and three silver medals.
Jake Masagan and SEAG multi-medalist Daniel Parantac presided over the taolu events while the combat side was handled by 2005 SEAG gold medalist Rhea May Rifani, now a BCNHS MAPEH instructor, and Bryan Olod handling the combat side.
The event saw also the return of Jean Claude Saclag to the event where he won a silver medal in the 2014 Asian Games in Busan, Soutj Korea.
Saclag won gold medals in the last two SEAG in kickboxing.
Many of the “celebrities” during the wushu games were featured in the Heroes: Wall of Fame including Saclag, his mentors Sangiao and Folayang, Geje Eustaquio and Rifani in sanda, as well as Parantac in taolu, apparently a homage to their former shifu Candelaria, who is also portrayed in the murals spearheaded by eponymous Publications and Media Works.
“Most of those painted at the walls will be there,” quipped Sangiao prior the weekend games. Pigeon Lobien
