The quiet island of Kalanggaman in Palompon, Leyte, burst into life once more as local paddlers ruled the 15-kilometer kayak marathon and mantaha regatta divisions of the recent Abre Grande sports festival.
The tandems of homegrown paddlers Marjun Montealto and Joemer Montealto of Team Cyclist Palompon and Diosdado Paradero Jr. and Arnold Panilag of Team JoPao capitalized on their home water advantage to capture the first and second places, respectively, of the kayak marathon.
Visiting competitors Danilo Atendido and Joebert Abad of Team LGU Dimasalang Masbate edged the rest of the pack to secure their third-place finish.
In the mantaha category, Cambinoy Mangrove and Livelihood Association Paddlers and Brgy. Parilla 4Ps Paddlers, snatched the top 2 honors, with Dimasalang Masbate National High School Paddlers settling for third.
The mantaha is an improvised dragonboat made out of two hulls of the typical fisherman’s outrigger boat to simulate the excitement of sprint paddling. Crewed by eight paddlers, a drummer and a rudder man, the 300-meter race was held at the town’s Tabuk Mangrove Park.
Organized by the Palompon Municipal Eco-tourism Council Inc. and supported by 2Go Travel Supercat and the Department of Tourism-Region 8, the sports fest is the kick off to the monthlong Lawig Festival which is part of the town’s patronal feast of Saint Francis Xavier.
According to Mayor Ramon Oñate, the sports extravaganza and the festival seek to promote environmental protection through eco-water sports and rediscover the town’s precolonial heritage of sailing and maritime trading. He said that the town boasts of Kalanggaman Island which was named last year as the country’s most amazing sandbar by the travel portal Skyscanner, edging the more popular contenders.
Dubbed as Poseidon’s Playground, it has been attracting European luxury cruise ships in recent years because of its pristine powdery 200-meter white sandbar and crystalline waters. It is also an emerging scuba diving site with lush coral walls and gardens on both sides.
Palompon also takes pride in Tabuk Mangrove Park and marine sanctuary which protected the residents from storm surges brought about by Supertyphoon Yolanda.
Now on its eighth edition, Abre Grande also included with duathlon for kids and open categories (run, bike, run), long board competitions, and a 6.42-km trail run at the Palompon Terrestrial Eco-Adventure Park.
Literally meaning “grand opening,” it is a recipient of the Pearl Award from the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines for being the country’s best sports tourism event in 2017. Palompon was elevated to the group’s Hall of Fame for winning the Best Tourism-Oriented Local Government Unit (Municipality Level) for three years in a row because of this event.