2002-04 Cagayan Tournament
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Rookie jitters.
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Kamayan Kid.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
| April 28, 2002
Byline: Al S. Mendoza
THE SPORT of fishing is not that popular here. I could be wrong. But fancy this. The Philippine Game Fishing Association has been around 62 years. Which could only mean one thing: game fishing seems inherent in us.
Surprised? Not me.
Our country is supposed to have the longest shoreline in the world. Our more than 7,000 islands are connected by two famous bodies of water. When you go to Bicol from Manila, at your right is the China Sea and at your left is the Pacific Ocean. Both harbor some of the world's most unique marine life.
Maybe, many of you don't know that Vic Vic Villavicencio, the Kamayan Kid who invented the eat-all-you-can phenomenon, is one of the country's top anglers for years now. An angler, in layman's term, is one who indulges in game fishing.
Vic Vic has mastered the exact locations of where our fishing grounds are in astonishing fashion so that he can flick in seconds the places where coral reefs are either dead or alive. The fiftyish Vic Vic has been combing our seas since the Seventies and, together with his fellow accomplished anglers like Benjie Toda and Rey Buencamino, has now become an ardent crusader for the protection of our marine life.
"It saddens me really to find many places in our country to be the brutal targets of dynamite fishing," Vic Vic says. "Our fish sanctuaries are being destroyed left and right. I hope the authorities will finally start paying attention to this modern-day cancer."
As president of the Philippine Game Fishing Association, Rey Buencamino has resolved to intensify their crusade against dynamite fishing.
Benjie Toda will explode at the mere mention of fishermen using dynamite.
"Those bombers are merciless and must be driven to hell," says Benjie, whose beard of one-and-a-half years makes him look more like a sage than a sea buff. "If dynamite fishing is not stopped now, we'll have no more fish after 10 years."
Vic Vic and Benjie go a long way, their friendship cemented by their love for the sport of fishing. Some years back, Vic Vic built a house in Sta. Cruz, Zambales, facing the sea. Sta. Cruz is Benjie's own turf; his family owns a beautiful island there. Soon after Vic Vic inaugurated his house, he discovered bums "bombing the waters" of Zambales.
"He helped me drive them away," says Benjie.
Vic Vic has sold his Sta. Cruz hideaway. He now spends most of his free time in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, where his enchanting one-hectare Balinese house faces the fish-rich San Vicente waters off Baua Point not far from Fuga Island.
Over at Vic Vic's present playground, there is a Sailfish Alley and a Marlin Avenue. There's also a Dorado Boulevard.
But more about those later. See you around.
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Fishing season starts with Cagayan tilt.
Sailfishing reels off April 12-14.
| April 11, 2002
The Philippine Game Fishing Foundation's (PGFF) three heavy tackle billfish events starts tomorrow, April 12-14 at the Philippines' sailfishing mecca, San Vicente in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, as part of the 10- round Angler of the Year series.
The AAD sportfishing tournament includes a 36-angler slate led by 2001 Angler of the Year and PGFF prexy Rey Buencamino and teammate and sponsor Amado A. Dy with Edwin Fernandez as tournament director.
In the same event last year, over 100 fish weighing 1.2 tons were caught by 18 anglers topped by Buencamino, Jimmy Flores and Jojo Joson as the individual and team champions. Joson landed a 51-kg black marlin and Japanese Tetsuo Ochi bagged the heaviest sailfish, 43.9 kg. Only sailfish weighing 25-kg up will be landed for points on maximun 30-lb line tackle.
The next two tournaments are set for May 22-25 and June 13-16.