Int'l girls surf titl in Siargao postponed

By Roel Catoto on June 5 2013 5:22 pm GENERAL LUNA, Surigao del Norte (MindaNews/05 June) — Lack of preparations has forced the organizers of the annual Siargao Girls International Surfing Competition to move the event to September. The tilt was scheduled to be held in Cloud Nine in this town on June 11-15, but was reset to September this year. Zeny Pallugna, secretary general of Philippine Surfing Federation, one of the organizers said that the schedule is too close and they haven’t ironed out some crucial matters for the event. General Luna, one of the towns in Siargao Islands, is considered the country’s surfing capital, and has hosted several surfing competitions. MindaNews tried to contact Pallugna through text messages for comment but she has not replied. General Luna Mayor Jaime P. Rusillon said postponing the event is better than pushing it through without enough preparations. “It’s really too close and we have to postpone it,” he said, adding they have prepared big prizes for the competition. The postponement dismayed several surfers who said they have prepared hard for the event. One of them was Daisy Valdez from La Union Province who had had booked a plane ticket for the competition. Valdez, considered one of the best Filipino contenders, said she was supposed to come here by Saturday. Valdez, who had received the notice through her Facebook account on May 29, said the organizers should have notified them earlier. She said she was also thinking of the other competitors who had booked tickets for the event. Meanwhile, several surfing fans pointed out that swells this month are not as good compared to those in September. “June is never going to be the best time as waves are usually small,” said Gerry Deagan, an Australian surfer, who would usually volunteer himself as the tournament announcer for every surfing event in Cloud Nine. The postponement made two competitors from Japan and Taiwan extend their stay in the island until September. (Roel N. Catoto/MindaNews