4,000 athletes converge in Camiguin for 30th MASTS

MAMBAJAO, CAMIGUIN— Some 4,000 athletes representing 29 of 31 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in Mindanao have converged here to compete in the 30th Mindanao Association of State Tertiary Schools (MASTS) Friendship Games, a prelude to the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG).

The delegates — from as far as Tawi-Tawi in western Mindanao and Caraga in the eastern part — started arriving here on Wednesday last week for the MASTS Friendship Games, which will wrap up just as the SEA Games kicks off on Nov. 30.

The MASTS games, which run from Nov. 24 to Nov. 29, cover 24 sports events, dance contests, performing arts, literary, pageant, as well as musical and visual arts competitions.

Mindanao peaceful

Camiguin Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said the games would show visiting Asian nations that the country, particularly Mindanao, remains peaceful amid news reports of violent extremism and armed insurgency.

“(The MASTS games) prove that peace can be achieved, that there is no need for violence. Why fight when we can be diplomatic?,” Romualdo told delegates during the games’ opening ceremony on Saturday at Pedro P. Romualdo Memorial Sports Complex in Mambajao town here.

The governor also urged the delegates to be his “spokespersons,” by helping promote Camiguin when they go back to their home provinces.

Tourist destination

Considered a prime tourist destination in the country with its hot and cold springs, waterfalls, white and black sand beaches, historical sites and dive spots, Camiguin is also known for lanzones, with the fruit’s sweetness attributed to the volcanic soil of the island.

Milabel Enriquez-Ho, MASTS president and Western Mindanao State University president, said the MASTS Friendship Games express the holistic aim of all SUCs to provide students with good education and training in sports development.

Camiguin Lone District Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo said the event should be an opportunity to foster unity among students and athletes.

“When you see groups of young people from different backgrounds coming from different provinces and communities, competing, playing and celebrating each other, that shows us what Mindanao is and what we can be,” he said.

Mambajao Mayor Iñigo Jesus Romualdo also appealed to the delegates to observe cleanliness during their stay on the island, “a simple act that can contribute to the protection of the environment,” he said.