JOHN David Velez heads nine other fellow Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala regional age-group tennis campaigners to a three-month scholarship program at the Macs Crankit Tennis Academy in Australia.
The PPS-PEPP bets stood out in the Visayas and Mindanao legs of the ongoing circuit with Velez, one of the rising stars from Davao, topping the 14-and-under side in the Butuan and Cagayan de Oro stops of the nationwide circuit put up by the country’s leading pawnshop and remittance center. He also dominated the Davao leg to clinch the first MCTA grant in Sydney in October.
Joining Velez in the camp are Iloilo City’s Marben Mosquera, Klyde Lagarde from Gen. Santos City, Janus Ringia from Koronadal City, April Minette Bentillo from Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, Sydney Ezra Enriquez from Zamboanga, Alexa Milliam, Kiana de Asis and Tracy Llamas, all from La Carlota, Bacolod, and Elsie Abarquez from Carcar, Cebu.
Meanwhile, the 10 rising stars gear up for the PPS-PEPP Gov. Pax Mangudadatu Masters leg on June 15-19 with more than 200 entries tipped to play at the Isulan Capitol Tennis Club, according to PPS-PEPP sports program development director Bobby Mangunay. For details, call 0915-4046464.
The event, presented by Slazenger, is also held as part of the annual birthday celebration of Gov. Mangudadatu in his continuing effort to help develop the sport and discover talents in the province.
The Aussie grants is spearheaded by MCTA coach Patricia Concon-Puzon, who has also conducted a free tennis clinic for grassroots and advanced players in recent months, including the Tennis Teachers/Coaches Conference.
Concon-Puzon, a former mainstay of the Philippine team, is a member of the Australian Tennis Professional Coaches Association with a Master Pro Level 3 title. She is also a client service officer at Villawood Immigration Detention Center in New South Wales who’s also into golf and martial arts.