THE Province of Cavite has rolled out the red carpet for the Luzon leg of the Philippine Reserved Officers Training Course Games which Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino opened on Saturday night in Indang with the coronation of Bicol pride Angel Brahms Malavega Bernarldez as Ms. ROTC Games for Luzon.
Tolentino, brainchild of the innovative nature of ROTC Games, said cadet athletes from various units in the different colleges and universities in Regions 1, 2, 3, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Region 5 are converging in Indang and Cavite for the weeklong competitions.
“The Luzon leg will be the biggest among the regional tournaments this year because the cadet-athletes will come from different tertiary institutions all over six regions across Luzon,” Tolentino said.
The Cavite State University in Indang and Tagaytay City are the main competition hubs of the games that started with the competitions on Sunday and will end on Saturday.
The National Capital Region leg of is set October 8 to 14 and the National Championships from October 22 to 27. Two previus legs were held in Iloilo and Zamboanga City for the Visayas and Mindanao legs.
Competitions are in athletics, basketball, kickboxing, boxing, arnis, volleyball and e-sports.
Bernarldez, meanwhile, made her native Rapu-Rapu in Albay and her school Bicol University Elementary Education where she’s a freshman proud by winning the Miss ROTC Luzon crown.
“I humbly believe that my dark skin complexion was my advantage because I want to bring it to a bigger platform as my own advocacy against bullying and discrimination because of our skin color,” Bernarldez told the judges and the crowd during the pageant.
“Indeed, we can do so much more as one and do so much more,” added the Bernaldez, an only child whose father is a security guard and mom a former overseas Filipino worker now a full-time homemaker.
“I really did not expect to win because others seemed better in their walk and the way they talk,” she said. “The way they moved was exceptional. Now I also feel pressured since the competition is not yet finished with the national finals coming up. I need to be better in the way I talk and walk.”