tagabungtod

Tagabungtod is back! The only excuse I can offer for the long absence is the euphoria brought about by the US presidential election. I grew up watching, knowing and listening to politicians and was, myself, bitten by the political bug for a few years. All that is in the past now but I still follow with both keen interest and disdain goings-on in politics. Here and abroad. Am I glad Obama won!

And then it was followed by another euphoria: the “Dream Match” between Paquiao and dela Hoya. Boxing? Opkors, I paid P500 as early as October to get a seat and cheer lustily for the world's best Pound Por Pound Payter Pakyaw Pram di Pelepens during the December 7 PPV in one of the SM theaters!

When I was a very young boy growing up near the tulay, there would be occasional boxing fight nights in the crossing labi na kung duol na ang fiesta. Atubangan sa tindahan ni Insoy ang ring the floor of which was made of wood slabs from the Guinoo sawmill, Unya tabunan lang ug trapal. Pasensya ang mahapla kay may bonus nga bukol ug mapakog ang ulo sa salog. The ropes were made of real abaca ropes (kadtong panghikot sa kabaw). Ug ang ginabagting to signal the start and end of the round is a piece of bali nga mulye o di gani yantas sa truck nga gibitay sa alambre o kable. (Ang praktisanan nga punching bag sa mga boxer was usually made of interior sa ligid nga sudlan ug balas o bagaso unya ibitay) Kung walay koryente panahon sa away, naay binitay nga petromax sa kada corner. Kada human sa usa ka bout, ang referee mao puy mobomba sa petromax aron mohayag na pud ang ring.

Even if my parents strictly prohibited us from watching these “violent” sport, there were more than a few nights in my childhood that I sneaked out of the house and hied off to the crossing to watch round after round of local boxing. It was fun watching and cheering while the pair of protagonists pummelled each other red, black and blue. These escapades paid off the following day in school because I get to contribute firsthand information as to what happened the night before. Bilib intawon kaayo tong wa kaadto.

Donnie Kid, Lightning Villanueva, Jesus Resma, Erning Barque, Corcino, Oskik Fuentes, Medio Pabilona and many others whose names I can’t remember anymore. All the boys in school talked about them the next day. Their boxing prowess garnished with tall-tales (apil na anting-anting mao nang di maigo ug di mabuklan).

In a few years Nabunturan would have its glorydays in boxing when the children of Jesus, the Resma brothers from Cabidianan, Jun and Sammy, became boxing sensations in their own right. Jun slowly rose to become the Philippine lightweight champion. He could have gone on to greater heights in international boxing but after winning a lotto jackpot he decided to train his own stable of young boxers instead. He was quite admired by many for remaining his usual humble self despite his new bun-og-free fortune and his new boxing promotion business. One day, after bringing his boxers to a bout in Bukidnon, and while on a bus on their way home, he died of a heart attack. That is probably why younger brother Sammy*, who was already making a name for himself, would lose interest in the sport.

During the late 80s, boxing tournaments in Nab would be attended by shadiness, sleaze and cheats which one night resulted in a boxing melee and violent free-for-all among boxers, referees, judges and the audience. Nabunturan's interest in local boxing came to a halt after that.

(*Sammy is happily married to my dear classmate, Alipia Ramirez)