TAGUM CITY –  General Santos City,  South Cotabato and Koronadal City struck for two gold medals each in  chess and archery at the start of the Mindanao leg of the 2019 Batang Pinoy at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex here Monday.

Angelito Aparte and Clint Calvin Atoc swept the gold medals in the boys rapid chess competitions at  the  Rodolfo del Rosario Hall.

Aparte finished with five points to clinch the gold in the boys13-15 years old category.

Actually, Nick Pabroquez of Kidapawan  finished with  the same score as Aparte, but  settled for the silver medal after the tiebreak.

Ryan Gabriel   Rasay  of Davao City clinched the bronze medal with 4.5 points, edging Cliff Richard Descartin of Panabo City also in tiebreak.

In the rapid boys’ 12-under, Atoc took the gold medal  with six points.

Ghian Michael  Aleria of Dipolog City and Kyle  Johann Ylanan  of  Gov. Generoso finished second  and  third with  five and 4.5 points, respectively.

The  girls rapid gold medals went  to  Ruelle Canino of Cagayan de  Oro City in the 12-under; and Aliyah Rae Lumangtad of  Davao del Norte in the 13-15 bracket.

Canino, a mainstay o fthe Philippne team which  saw action in the 19th ASEAN Age Group Chess Championships in Davao City last year,  finished with 5.5 points.

The nine-year-old   Canino  finished  half a point ahead of Janiella   Maeren Garcia of Lagonglong and  a  full point clear of  Olive Therese Balinas of  Tacurong City.

Elsewhere, Grace Signacion captured the first gold medal by winning the girls’ yeoman 20-meter event with a total score of 647 points (328-319).

Signacion, who turned  10 only last Sunday, won over Samantha  Isabel Loreno of Koranadal City (605) and  Khrizleyn Hope Ferrer of South  Cotabato (546). 

“I’m so happy that I won the gold. Para po sa mother ko ito,” said Signacion.

Rhyniyll Yvis Endaya also took the gold in the girls’ bowman 30-meter (72 arrows) event after posting 324 and 310  points for a total of 634 total points.

The 12-year-old student of Central Elementary School in Surallah town in  South Cotabato, finished  ahead  of  Ge-Anne Gasendo of South Cotabaton (601) and Althea Kelly Odiong of Davao City (593 points). 

“Target ko po na  makakuha pa po ng ginto sa mga susunod ko na events ngayon,” said Endaya, referring to the mixed and Olympic rounds.

Sharing limelights were Justin Matthew Basadre and Romee Jonathan Rioja, both of Koronadal, who topped the won boys bowman and boys yeoman events.

Basadre  tallied 624 points to clinch the gold over  South Cotabato’s Quin Myer Loreno (614) and Mark Jubert Lapiad (611).

Rioja,on the other hand,  posted 551 points from a two-round 244-307 tally to claim the mint

He won over South Cotabato’s Karl David Mejillano (497) and fellow Koronadal bet Paul Yrwan Bader (404).    

Over at the City Mall,  Aethan Razy Fujita of Davao City and Maria Veronica Ilagan  of Tacurong split the first two golds at stake in arnis competitions.

Fujita, 10,  defeated Eli Gabriel Panabay of Tagum City and  Emmanuel Josh Nacion  of Davao City.

She posted a score of 9.50  in the cadet boys non-traditional individual single weapon.

Panabay had 9.46 for silver medal, while Nacion had  9.43  for the bronze.

Ilagan  had a score of 9.60  to cllnch the cadet girls traditional individual single weapon, beating Rian Joy Artajo ng Butuan City (9.43) and Lian Rose Anquilita  of Iligan City (9.33).