Former amateur basketball president Godofredo “Freddie” Jalasco was unanimously voted as new head of the Wushu Federation Philippines (WFP) during its election recently.
Jalasco, who previously held the position of WFP’s vice president and executive director, is the first non-Chinese speaking sportsman to head the 32-year-old local governing body of the sport.
He was elected by the 15 members of the Board of Trustees, replacing longtime president Julian Camacho who is now the federation’s secretary general. Reelected to their respective positions were chairman Jimmy Tan and executive vice president Eddy Tanteko.
Jalasco served as president of the now-defunct Basketball Association of the Philippines or BAP, which had been replaced by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
Ice Skating Union secretary general Benito Lim, who got the vice chairmanship, led the other elected officers that included Anna Gan as first vice president; Ronald Ong as second vice president; and Bobby Hongliangyi as treasurer.
Jimmy Ong, Samson Co, Tansuitong Candelaria, Lily Lim, Willy Wang, Ellen Ang and Richa Fernandez round out the WFP Board of Trustees.
Benito Lim, Jimmy Ong and Camacho were past WFP presidents while Tanteko, the two Ongs and Benito Lim are among the founders.
Co was the first Filipino back-to-back world Wushu champion and Wang, also a world champion, clinched a gold medal in the Wushu competition held during the 2008 Beijing Olympics where the Philippines suffered a medal shutout.
In the last Southeast Asian Games here in 2019, the national team ruled the competition in wushu as the Philippines won a total of seven gold medals, two silvers and the same number of bronze medals.
Agatha Wong won two gold medals in women’s taolu events taijiquan and taijijian, while in sanda, Jessie Aligaga (48kg), Arnel Mandal (52kg), Francisco Solis (56kg) and Clemente Tabugara Jr. (65) won in the men’s category, and Divine Wally (48kg) in women’s division.
Philippine Olympic Committee general manager Dinah Remolacio observed the virtual final phase of the two-step election.