FEATURE 

The Call from the TAPP: 

Alicia opens trail 

Until January 25 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol January 12 (PIA)--The gorgeous trails leading to the best panoramic views in eastern Bohol open again this year for the annual The Alicia Panoramic Park (TAPP) Trail Run 2019 in time for the foundation days celebration of the town, 100 kilometers from this capital city. 

Said to be most brutally beautiful race that allows trail masters to get a glimpse, or a selfie at the scenery, the TAPP trail run gets a trail runner from The Farm in Barangay Cambaol, Alicia to dizzying elevations by following the pasture trails that make their way to Mount Labawan, the trail’s highest peak at over 350 meters towering over the largely rolling landscape. 

Now fast becoming the town’s most popular sports tourism product, the trail run this year, set February 24, Sunday, is open for 5 kilometer kiddie, the 10 kilometers and the 30 kilometers trail for the hardcore runners who have found the real challenge off-road and away from the pavements. 

With registration opening since December, the TAPP trail run attempts to limit the number of runners considering the trails’ carrying capacity, according to town tourism officer Godelia Lumugdang. 

When there were over 350 runners who registered in last year’s TAPP Trail series for the 21 kilometers, organizers this year opened limited 150 slots for the 30 kilometers, another 150 slots for the 10 kilometers and 50 slots for the kiddie 3 kilometer race, she added. 

Registration for the 30 kilometer race is P1,200, for the 10 kilometer race, P700 and for the 5 kilometer kiddie, P500. 

Registration which includes an event shirt, racer’s bib, finishers medals and post-race meal, closes on January 25, without extension. 

While the registration can be processed personally at the Alicia Tourism Office, organizers have opened online registration system, to help race participants who are too far out to register. 

Registration fees can be deposited to any of the following accounts: BPI Checking Account, Account Name: Venus Dy, Account Number: 1685-0020-23 (BPI Alfaro, Makati), or BDO Checking Account, under account Name: Venus Dy, Account Number: 00168-802-4303 (BDO PhilAm-Valero, Makati) or through Pera Padala (Palawan Express / MLhuiller), send to Eva Dy, 09171688571 or 09198102647. 

Race participants only need to fill-out the following: First Name, Last Name, Race Category, Age, Gender, Email address, Shirt size, Phone Number and Address and email these together with an attached scanned copy / photo / screenshot of the deposit slip / receipt to tapptrailrun@gmail.com, putting “TAPP Trail Run 2019-(Race Category) as subject. 

A confirmation would be sent as soon as the payment has been verified, organizers said. 

Organizers also accept group registrations detailing the individual participants and kids 5-8 yrs old joining the Run must be accompanied by an adult, whose name would also be included in the registration. 

As the race starts at 5:00 AM on February 24, athletes who are up to test their core strengths, endurance and muscles have over a month of rigorous training left to compete and survive the beautiful but muscle cramping climbs. 

Gear up 

Trail races are always about right training in core body strength, endurance while endlessly discovering a good body balance throughout the course to last to the finish, TAPP trail veterans have suggested 6 TAPP trail essentials. 

1. Clothing. Find a proper trail clothing that fits well, dri-fit rashguards are well recommend as the trail goes through tall sharp grasses that could be itchy or scratch. Choose that flat lightweight trail shoes with enough thread, this helps you find a better balance in the uneven trails. And good quality socks and a cap can be a huge help in sun-bathed trails. Spandex are a great idea and tights over sports shorts can really be a game changer when the tall grasses would start punishing a runners aching legs with the itch. 

2. Hydration packs. While some trail runners are good to go with hand held water bottles or the ubiquitous hydration belts for marathoners, TAPP trails wind up to elevations without any refilling stations, so consider this as forewarning. As the instagrammable gently sloping trails can really be a perfect come on, the ascents are unexpectedly nasty, you would have both hands pumping, or scrambling that at least a two liter hydration backback would be a good tradeoff. 

3. Calories. You won’t be able to finish TAPP trails skipping food because after 5 kilometers of hill climb, you would be cursing yourself for not packing enough chocolate energy bars, energy gels, salt tablets and the good old potassium from a ripe banana. TAPP’s 30 kilometers would be a good 6++ hours run, so a ready 600 calorie pack in your tote might just help. Organizers are also putting up water refilling stations with fruits, which are great calories sources. 

4. Sunshades and sunscreens. While the race breaks off at early morning, runners are better off with a good photo chromatic lens glasses or the good old sports sunglasses, you will find would be a huge relief. And sunscreens too, a good squeeze of sunblock slapped on the nape and exposed skin would be a relief, especially as one would be reliving the glory of the race in some reclining chair. 

5. Survival pack. As the TAPP trails wind up to where you could be alone navigating the trail, in an accident, getting rescues may have to be prepared. A good whistle, fully charged mobile phone with enough calling capacity, a headlamp and some cash may be of help, in any case of emergency. And lube too. When navigating the trail for hours on end, a good dab of Vaseline or skin lube in areas where there is skin chaffing when the friction is high, is a decision you would not regret. 

6. Trekking Pole. Just as participants who have gone through the TAPP trails in the past know that a trekking pole is an extra weight to one’s personal tote gear, many have admitted that the gear saves one a lot of embarrassment in the steep downhill sections of the race. And, a pole easily distributes one’s body weight, that the added weight would certainly be one that keeps your but, mud-free from just sliding down the trails. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

The TAPP Trails bring runners over the hills’ ridges and allows them to catch fleeting glances of the gorgeous views, though not to long enough to relish the sight, especially because they have to realize a race has no place for sightseeing. (rahc/PIABohol)

City college wont vie 

With private colleges

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, January 10 (PIA)—The opening of the mulled Tagbilaran City College won’t compete with the private tertiary educational institutions here, assured City Mayor John Geesnell Yap. 

Speaking during the recent Kapihan sa PIA held inside the office of the City Mayor at the City Hall, the young son of city’s respected businessmen parents hinted that a college institution that would be government owned and an additional to the already saturated catchment would be a bad idea, if it would earn the ire of the established educational establishments. 

However, when the mulled City college opens, it won’t be offering courses which are now already offered by the private institutions in the city, the mayor said. 

They do not need to be afraid, the mayor assured, even as he bared that he has met the school administrators to explain to them the need for the city to implement a plan that would soon spice up the city’s inventory of skills which the private colleges and universities have not supplied as yet. 

Except for tourism, we won’t be into the same course offers that the city based colleges are offering. 

Beyond that, opening up a city college which would be opening free college education with the same high standard that every parent of a poor college kid could dream of for his children, would be big relief, the mayor excitedly said. 

The opening of the city college would also be a relief for the city which is sending to school 500 scholars and is paying for the tuition fees and allowances of these students now enrolled in major tertiary schools here in Tagbilaran. 

And while the city college is still on its final stages of implementation, the sporty city mayor said the city is doubling up the tuition fees and allowances for these city paid learners. 

From P5,000, we are increasing the tuition assistance to our scholars to P1,000 beginning this year. 

As to the courses the mulled city college would be into, many have suggested that propping up the city’s labor force in the blue collar job fields would be a great idea to explore. 

While the city has been cited now for outstanding fiscal management, losing an additional P5,000 for the city scholars, a new city college would be another way of recovering these spending. 

The plan to open up its own college, according to Mayor Yap, has excited the government’s Commission on Higher Education, who promised to lend technical and financial assistance to the city. 

We earlier though we would be totally spending for the opening of the college, its infrastructure and organizational staffing when we learned that the CHED is helping, he shared during the radio interview. 

Now, we are given another opportunity for opening another economic enterprise, the mayor revealed. 

For the education of its constituents, the mayor believes starting the kids while young would be a good gamble at success. 

The city, he reported has just finished putting up air conditioned classrooms for the city’s day care centers. 

Now, next on the line and starting this year, is to bring that same service to the city’s elementary schools, as he assured the putting up of more comfortable public elementary classroom would start this year. 

Also, the project of erecting multi-purpose covered courts (MPCC) in all public schools in the city continues this year until all would have a good venue for public engagements, and schools would finally have a comfortable wide space for parents’ and teachers’ meeting. 

The same MPCCs would also be temporary shelters for constituents during disasters, he said. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

STOCKING THE CITY'S WORKERS INVENTORY. In preparation for the development of the city's mulled industrial estate at the abandoned city airport, Tagbilaran is putting up a formal training institution in the Tagbilaran City College, says City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II during the recent Kapihan sa PIA. (PIA/Bohol)