Gensanportal - Mindanao News Blog

GUMASA, Sarangani (May 23, 2011) – Seven teams competed in this year’s 15-kilometer swim relay from Tinoto Point in Maasim town to Tango in Glan, making the swim-across-the-bay the most challenging competition of the festival. Koronadal City’s Sea Lions team with top swimmer Bonifacio Pagunsan made it to the finish line at 3:41:42 time as champion. The Philippine Army’s Tinoto Pirates got the second prize (3:53:28) while Gensan Torpedoes bagged the third place (4:05:19). Sea Lions took home the P50,000 grand prize. Lumba bugsay (boat race), a 4-kilometer boat paddling competition started in Kapatan to Tango. Brothers Wenard and Ronald Insik, both fishermen from Kapatan, bagged the first place. Lumba bugsay is a yearly Sarangani Bay Festival event organized by SPECTRUM (Sarangani Province Empowerment and Community Transformation Forum). Beach sports such as volleyball, football and Frisbee played among teams from Davao, General Santos, Koronadal and Sarangani province were held in Coco Beach. Gumasa’s white sands made fine sculptures for artists who joined the sand sculpture competition in Rosal Beach with the contest’s recurrent theme, “Protection and Conservation of the Bay”. Entry from Maasim sculpting into sand the protection and preservation of endangered marine life such as marine turtles, dolphins and a mermaid won against nine other entries. Entries from Glan Poblacion and Kiamba won second and third respectively. The bay bodies competition in the evening got the biggest crowd drawing about ten thousand spectators in Coco Beach. Paired by highest points, Luis Reyna III from Davao City and Kristine Jagus of Alabel, won the bay bodies and bikini competition. The Bay Fair in Coco Beach showcased food and souvenir items for tourists at the Sarangani Bay Festival 2011. (Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)