Sports

Siargao Locals Dominate National Surfing Cup

Locals dominate the 20th Siargao National Surfing Cup held last week in General Luna, Siargao, competing in the championship round after an epic semifinal win.

John Mark Tokong, who ranked 4th in the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PSCT), came out as the overall champion against PSCT’s 2nd ranking surfer, Edito “Piso” Alcala, with a final score of 19.20 versus 17.60 points.

The two came out on top after competing against 96 Filipinos from Zambales, La Union, Baler, Ilocos Norte, Manila, Cantilan, Catanduanes, Davao Oriental, and Siargao.

“The finals was such a great match. We’re very lucky because of a lot waves are coming in and we had some very critical hits, so because Piso is a really good surfer, I was lucky to have selected and performed well on some of the best swells on the competition,” he added.

Highlighting the power of locals

The 21-year-old Siargao native started his surfing journey when he first rode the waves in Cloud 9, Siargao’s popular surfing spot, as young as 6 years old.

“What started as a recreational sport in our town of General Luna has evolved us to be able to compete with the best in the world,” says Tokong. “Competing here in the Philippines through the PSCT and then against the foreign surfers was not only an amazing experience for me but a huge learning process.”

Tokong has already competed internationally – in Indonesia, Australia, and in the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games in Japan, where he competed against professional surfers from 42 different countries.

Tourism Boost in Siargao owed to Surfing

Ma. Ana T. Nuguid, Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director for the Caraga Region, explained that surfing has enabled and pushed the growth of the tourism industry in Siargao when it was branded as the surfing capital of the Philippines.

Caraga Regional Tourism Office data shows that around 15,000 tourists visited Siargao Island in 2017, which is a 25% increase from the visits in 2016.

via ABS-CBN News / Erwin M. Mascariñas

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