25. Athlete, Coach, Educator: PEDRO ABLAN, 1917 Far East Games Medalist

One of the most accomplished track coaches in the 1930s was PEDRO ABLAN, himself a talented middle distance race specialist. Born on 9 Dec. 1891 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, The young Ablan discovered running as part of his school’s physical education classes. He was a constant presence in interscholastic meets, winning many medals. He pursued running when he came to Manila to study at the Philippine Normal School, and managed to improve his times to become a national record holder for 3 consecutive years beginning 1915  in the 440 yard dash.

The 5 foot 4 Ablan became a mainstay of the winningest Philippine team to the Far Eastern Championship Games that took part in the Manila (1913) and Shanghai games (1915). In Shanghai, he was part of the Philippine men's team that won Gold in the 880 m. yard relay, along with  Fortunato Catalon, Genaro Saavedra, and Nicolas Llaneta. His Far East campaign culminated  with a Bronze Medal finish at the 1917 edition in Tokyo, Japan. He placed third behind two Japanese runners Shinsaku Yamanouchi  (Gold, 55.0 secs.) and Iwao Saeki (Silver, 55.2 secs.). Ablan clocked 56.2 secs. , a Philippine record, and became a much-talked about sprinter in the Philippines, China and Japan.

In 1918, Ablan was deep in training for the next Far Eastern Games, when he was found unconscious on the athletic field, stricken with a debilitating illness. He had to stop running and was scratched off from the team. As if that was not enough, his 440 yard record was broken by another Filipino sprinter. He recovered soon enough, but he found out that he had lost his former speed.

But behind every setback, there was a silver lining. When he was well enough, he married Soledad Adiarte (b. 1895) , retired from running to become a track coach at a local high school. It was while coaching that Ablan was selected as a pensionado of the Philippine government to study physical education abroad. Upon the recommendation of Vice-Governor Charles E. Yeater, Ablan was accepted at the Missouri College in Springfield (now Missouri State University), that was known for its outstanding physical education program.

In September 1919, Ablan, together with another Filipino who would also become an eminent sports leader—Serafin Aquino—began his studies at the Missouri college. His reputation as a champion sprinter had preceded him, and his athletic feats were written about in local community newspapers.

After graduating in 1922, Pedro Ablan returned to the Philippine Islands as physical director in the public schools. During World War II, he served as captain in the Philippine Army, and he received an honorable discharge in 1948. Ablan dedicated the remainder of his life to physical education.

He assumed the post of Physical Director of his alma mater Philippine Normal School and led the track team to victory at the Manila Interscholastic Athletic Association (M.I.A.A.) meets in 1932 and 1935. In 1934, he served as assistant coach of the P.A.A.F. athletic events, and helped in the training of the Philippine squad for the 1936 Olympics.

The revered Ablan rose to become a Division Superintendent of the Department of Education, with P.E. as his field of expertise. He retired in 1965 and returned to Springfield College campus for his 50^th class reunion in 1972. Pedro Ablan, the multi-tasking athlete, mentor and sports official,  passed away on 16 July 1974, and was survived by 3 daughters and 2 sons.

SOURCES:

Passport, Pedro Ablan: U.S., Passport Applications, 1795-1925, Border Crossings & Passports

Far East Championships, http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/fec.htm

Photo of Ablan, Merwin and Aquino/ Cosmopolitan Club/ In Memoriam, Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections.

https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/5236

4. DR. REGINO R. YLANAN: From a Top Student Athlete to a Pillar of Philippine Sports

In the annals of Philippine sports history, one name stands out for his multifarious roles in advancing and supporting the cause of national sports: DR. REGINO R. YLANAN—a premiere student athlete, a bemedalled international track star, a medical doctor, educator, coach, and venerable sports official and administrator.

His life legacy includes winning the first gold medals for the Philippines at the Far East Games (1913) , heading the University of the Philippines P.E. Dept. (1921), co-founding the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF, 1924) as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the Philippines (NCAA, 1924), and coaching  the first Filipino Olympian David Nepomuceno in Paris (1924). Four years later, in Amsterdam, he was back as physician of the Philippine Olympic team. It was also during his term as PAAF secretary-treasurer that the Rizal Memorial Stadium was completed (1936).

He started carving his name in sports early. Born on 7 Sep. 1889 in Bogo City, Cebu to Sen. Pedro Rodriguez and Francisca Ylanan, Regino developed an early passion for sports in athletics and baseball. In Cebu High School, he was the captain of the baseball team that became a 3-time interscholastic champion (1910, 1912, 1913) that played in the Manila Carnival games.

After high school, he enrolled at the College of Medicine & Surgery (C.M.S.), University of the Philippines where he further honed his athletic skills. His younger brother and fellow athlete Catalino, was also a student there. The brothers became members of both the crack U.P. Varsity Baseball Team and the C.M.S. Baseball Team which became school champions in 1914-1915. The two were also in the varsity and college Basketball Teams. 

On their own, Regino was both a member of the C.M.S. and the U.P. Varsity Track teams in 1916. Catalino was a Varsity Track member the year before, in 1915.

The older Ylanan came into national prominence at the inaugural Far Eastern Championship Games held in Manila in 1913, participated in by 6 countries. The 24 year old athlete parlayed his baseball-throwing skill by winning  Gold in Discus (28.28 meters), Shotput (10.76 meters)  and Pentathlon.

In the 2^nd edition of the games played in Shanghai in 1915, Regino was back, this time with his brother Catalino, as among the 6 representatives of the school. Regino defended his Shotput title with a heave of 10.91 meters for a back-to-back Gold, plus a Bronze in Pentathlon. Catalino won the team Gold for basketball. 

In 1916, Regino resumed playing baseball, captaining the varsity team to win that year’s  P.A.A.F. Baseball Championship. The two brothers would return to the 1917 Far Eastern Games in Tokyo, their last participation in the games. In Japan, Catalino claimed his second basketball gold, while the Philippine  Baseball team, in which Regino was fielded as a catcher, lost the Gold to Japan.

Upon his return, Ylanan finished his medical studies in 1918 and became a surgeon at the Philippine General Hospital. With his heart still in sports, he accepted a government offer to go to the  Springfield College, Massachusetts for a course in physical education, which he finished in 1920. This led to a job at his alma mater as head of the U.P. Physical Education Department.

A highlight of his career in sports administration was representing the Philippines at the 1924 Paris Olympics and to accompany star sprinter David Nepomuceno, the first Filipino Olympic delegate. He would attend two more Olympics, in Amsterdam (1928) and Berlin (1936), to witness the first medals won by Filipinos in swimming and athletics.

In 1927 he was named National Athletic Director and Secretary-Treasurer for the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, the forerunner of the Philippine Olympic Committee. The last Far East Games was held in Manila in 1934, and from thereon, with 2 looming wars in the horizon (2^nd Sino-Japanese War that began in Manchuria, World War II) , interest in regional sports went into a decline.

But Ylanan carried on, authoring and promoting books on basketball and baseball, as  part of his advocacies. He was on his way to finishing “The History and Development of Physical Education and Sports in the Philippines”, when he was felled by a heart attack on23  August 1963. He was about to turn 74. Wife Carmen Wilson-Ylanan, who was one of the early women basketball players in the country, finished writing his opus that finally saw print in 1965

In 1999, the Sports Association of the Philippines acclaimed Regino Ylanan as a “Sports Leader of the Millennnium”, along with Ambrosio Padilla, Gonzalo Puyat, and Florencio Campomanes.  It was a fitting honor or his life-long service to promote a culture of excellence in sports, not just for physical health but also for nation-building. For many, Dr. Regino R. Ylanan was truly both a pillar and Father of Philippine Sports.

SOURCES:

Regino Ylanan, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regino_Ylanan

CultureEd Philippines, Sagisag Kultura: Regino Ylanan: https://philippineculturaleducation.com.ph/ylanan-regino/

1915, 1916 University of the Philippines Yearbooks

Athletic Handbook for the Philippine Public Schools, Bureau of Education, Manila, 1904. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/acp1028.1913.040/29?rgn=full+text&view=image&q1=Regino+Ylanan

The Games of the VIII Olympiad: Official Report, (part 1, page 89). la84foundation.org. French Olympic Committee

Iñigo, Manolo R. (2001-09-07). Ylanan Legacy a Tough Act to Follow. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pg. A22. Retrieved on 2015-01-12.

3. Making History: Sprinter DAVID NEPOMUCENO, The 1st Philippine Olympian

The honor of becoming the first Philippine athlete to participate in the World Olympics belongs to DAVID NEPOMUCENO, a trackster who was officially sent to the 8^th Olympiad in Paris, France, held from 4 May to 27 July, 1924.

Though still under American rule, the Philippines was allowed to join the International Olympic Committee in 1918, on the basis of its established Philippine Amateur Athletic  Federation (PAAF) which became the governing body of Philippine sports in 1911. It was only in 1924 though, that a Filipino athlete was sent to compete officially under our flag, making the Philippines the first country from Southeast Asia to join the world’s premiere sporting event.

David Nepomuceno was born in Oas, Albay on 29 June 1900. Not much is known about him before 1924, except that he comes from a quiet, unassuming family who valued hard work and simple living. He grew up in his humble town and obviously benefitted from the American physical education programs that were introduced in local public schools. The smalltown youngster proved proficient in both athletics and baseball which led to his participation in many interscholastic and regional meets.

As he came of age, Nepomuceno joined the U.S. Army’s Philippine Scouts based in Fort McKinley, Manila. His athletic prowess came into good use at the Philippine Department Athletic Tournament that was regularly held at Fort W. McKinley. Also known as McKinley Games, the large sporting event was participated in by members of the Philippine Scouts of the U.S. Army, various infantry units and air corps who competed in athletics, swimming, boxing and ball games.

Many of the top athletes from these games saw action at the PAAF Championships that were timed with the holding of the 1924 Manila Carnival at Wallace Field in February. That same year, the Olympic body opened slots for the Philippines in athletics at the scheduled Paris Olympiad. Barely 3 months after the carnival games, PAAF had to mount a series qualifying events in May 5, at Wallace Field.

The formidable sprinter from Leyte, Fortunato Catalon, was heavily favored to make it to Paris. After all, he was the Far Eastern Champion Games winner  for 4 consecutive editions (1917, 1919, 1921), winning Gold for both 100 yard and 220 yard races. But it was the younger Nepomuceno who pulled a major surprise, by running 100 yards in a sensational 9.54 seconds. Though Catalon matched his time for the same distance, he was overshadowed by Nepomuceno, as it was he was chosen to run the 100 m and 200 m. at the games, with Catalon as a “non-partant” (non-runner) in the sprint doubles, as listed on the official program, along with Juan Taduran in Decathlon.

Nepomuceno lost no time in preparing for his trip to French capital where the games were scheduled for 3 months, starting May and ending in July. In fact, he applied for a passport on May 14—7 days after the opening of the Olympics. Hi passport forms give us a glimpse of David’s personal details. The brown-complexioned Filipino listed his occupation as a soldier, standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, with an oval face and round chin. His mouth and forehead were of medium size. His hair was black, his eyes dark brown, with a turned-up nose (retrousse).

Three days later, he left on board passenger and cargo ship Sui Sang, along with PAAF official Dr. Regino Ylanan, who doubled as his coach, being a Far East Games veteran himself. After over a month of sea travel, the Philippine delegation of 3 people (the 3^rd was attache B. Minelle) arrived in time for the start of the athletic events. Nepomuceno barely had a month to get adjusted to the European weather, size up the competition and  train for the heats that were set on the first week of July.

Nepomuceno was grouped with 5 other runners in Heat 6, of 17 heats total. These include Antonin Svoboda  (Czechoslovakia), Henricus Adrianus “Harry” Broos (Holland), George Dustan (South Africa), Poul Schiang (Denmark), and José-María Larrabeiti (Spain). With his physical condition affected by the long trip, Nepomuceno had an unremarkable run, trailing all the runners, finishing sixth, and last.

The 100 meter dash finals was won by Harry Abrahams of Great Britain, whose victory was retold in the 1981 Oscar award-winning film, “Chariots of Fire”. Despite being branded as a true story, it has a few factual errors. For example, Abrahams did not look at the 100 meter race as a chance to redeem himself for his 200 meter loss, since the 100 m. preceded the 200 m. finals.

Our valiant Olympian fared better in the heats for the 200 meter-dash.  Lumped in Heat 15 with Maurice Degrelle (France) , Marinus van den Berge (Holland), Lawrence Betts (South Africa) and Henricus Cockuyt (Belgium), Nepomuceno placed third. Unfortunately, only the first 2 fastest could advance to the quarterfinals.

Still, Nepomuceno came home with head up high, as his Olympic experience only served to bolster his reputation as a major force to reckon with in Asian athletics. The next year, he proved just that in the 1925 Far Eastern Games in Manila, recording a personal best of 22.5 secs. in the 200 meter dash, defeating the strong Japanese contenders.

Then, in the 1927 staging of the Games in Shanghai, he won the Gold medal in the 100 meter dash, registering a record-breaking time of 10.6 secs., the first Filipino athlete to run the distance under 11 seconds, a clocking that stood for many years.

He continued to compete sporadically in the 1930s, and newspapers would still refer to him as “the 1^st Filipino in the Olympics”, “former Olympic ace”, and “brilliant Olympic veteran” years after his Paris odyssey. In 1934, David was still good to be shortlisted for training by American coaches for possible inclusion in the next Philippine Olympic Team. Few years later, he opted to retire early from the Philippine Scouts and retreat to his quiet, domestic life. He was afflicted with a lingering lung disease which led to his hospitalization at the Sternberg General Hospital beginning in May 1939.

He never recovered from his disease and passed away 4 months later at age 39 on 7 September 1937. David Nepomuceno will go down in the history of Philippine sports as a pioneer athlete who made history by raising the flag of the Philippines for the very first time on the world’s biggest sports stage, for other great Filipino athletes to follow.

Source: wikimedia, David Nepomuceno

SOURCES/REFERENCES:

David Nepomuceno phot, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/143942829?objectPage=320

The Far East Games, https://www.rsssf.org/tablesf/fareastgames.html

“Two Filippinos did 100 Yards in 9.45 secs.”The Boston Globe, Mass. 5 May 1924 issue, p.13

“107 Athletes are on Tentative List”, Tribune (Philippines : 1932 - 1945), Saturday 17 February 1934, page 9

“Track Contest On Next Month, Entries Now Open at PAAF Office; Several Veteran Athletes Competing”, The Tribune, 9 Sep. 1933 issue, p. 7.

“Nepomuceno, Former Olympic Ace, Passes”, The Tribune, Thursday 28 Sept.  1939 issue, p. 11

Jojo de Jesus for Dateline Ibalon,”David Nepomuceno, Pioneer Filipino Olympian from Oas, Albay”,  3 Aug. 1924.

David Wallechinsky, The Complete Book of the Olympics, published by the Penguin Group, 1988.

Official Report of the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, LA84 Digital Library.

1. ALL THE WORLD'S A SPORTS STAGE

WELCOME TO PHILIPPINE SPORTS ALL-STARS! This blog recalls the greatest moments in Philippine sports and the glorious athletes of yesteryears, both celebrated and unsung, who animated the sports arenas, here and around the world, with their show of strength, endurance, resilience and national pride.

Ever since the age of organized sports, Filipinos have been competing for God, country and personal glory with varying degrees of success. Before that, the only competitive game known in the country was the noncontact sport of  “sipa”- where a small bamboo ball kicked back and forth between 2 lines of players. Another leisure game popular in rural areas was ‘sabong’ or cockfighting.

It was during the American Regime that sports came into full flower, deeming it essential to keep the people of their new territory physically and morally fit. An American soldier introduced baseball in 1899, gaining such wide popularity—until basketball took over. Taught through the school system, basketball was an instant hit.

Filipinos took to these sports not only for leisure, but also to assert their nationalism, as they competed against their taller, heavier opponents.

By 1913, sports was making rapid advancements in the country. “In no other part of the world has physical education and recreation made such remarkable progress in so brief a time as in the Philippines”. Manila YMCA director Elwood S. Brown observed. The Bureau of Education reported that 400,000 Filipino children are engaged in some form of activity. There were “hundreds of baseball teams, leagues in many kinds of sports, frequent track and field meets, …and an Amateur Athletic Federation that promoted competitive athletics in the community..”

Americans organized athletic meets of all sorts, beginning in schools and in national events like the annual Manila Carnival that began in 1908. The 2-week fair held sports competitions for participating schools and government bureaus, that included disciplines like athletics and swimming events.

There were regular Army Athletic meets known as McKinley Games that had a mix of American and Filipino participants, who competed in separate divisions. The major meet, held at Fort McKinley, included Aquatics (swimming), Track and Field (sprint and long distance running, pole vault),  Ball Games (baseball, basketball), and Boxing. The annual meet that began in the 1920s, is credited with developing athletics in the country.

The performance standards of Filipino athletes leveled up as they began pitting their skills against their counterparts from other countries. From regional athletic meets, they found their way representing the Philippines in the earliest international sports competitions that would of course, come to include the premier and most celebrated sporting events in the world--the Olympics.

SOURCES/ CREDITS:

Elwood S. Brown, Athletics in the Philippines Islands and the Far Eastern Olympic Games

McKinley Games, The Tribune, Sports Page, 19 Dec. 1931.