PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – National Capital Region picked up six more golds in swimming yesterday, even as Cebu City's Lindley Fran Navaja emerged as the fastest athlete of the Palarong Pambansa at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex here.

Valenzuela resident Dorothy Hong, an incoming junior at Philippine Christian School of Tomorrow, erased the decade-old secondary girls' 100m backstroke record of former national team standout Lizza Danila to typify NCR's dominance at the pool.

As lead swimmer of NCR's victorious 4x100m medley relay squad, Hong, 14, clocked 1 minute, 7.94 seconds to eclipse Danila's mark of 1:08.00 in Bacolod City during the Centennial Palaro in 1998.

Although Hong's record time was set in a relay event, tournament manager Richard Luna said the clocking credited since she was the lead swimmer in the team.

Also making their presence felt was NCR's Jose Gio Palencia, who won his second individual gold by topping the elementary boys' 100m free in 1:02.11. The other NCR gold medalists are Frances May Cabrera in the elementary girls 100m free (1:07.72), the elementary boys 4x100m medley team of Fahad Alkhaldi, Jose Gio Palencia, Vincent Edrick Dee, Dunn Clarke Vinluan (4:53.75), the elementary girls 4x100m medley quartet of Denice Hong, Patricia Manuel, Ma. Kristina Bartolome, Frances May Cabrera (5:12.82) and the secondary boys 4x100m medley team of Gian Berino, Gabriel Catelo, Kevin Lua, Timothy Yap (4:19.59).

The day two collection hiked NCR's tally to 17 in swimming with 28 more golds at stake in the last two days of the competition.

Calabarzon's Banjo Borja and Central Visayas' Loren Dale Echavez captured their second golds after winning the secondary boys' 200m breastroke and the secondary girls' 100m free, respectively. Also bagging his second title was John Brylle Zapanta of Bicol, the secondary boys' 100m free champion.

The 16-year-old Navaja, who graduated recently from the University of Cebu, proved his victory last year was no fluke, topping the secondary boys' 100m in 11.12 seconds to edge Central Luzon's Michael Calayo, who came in 11.13. Western Visayas' Arlo Cancho took the bronze in 11.4 seconds.

"I wanted to prove something not just to my opponents but to myself because, like last year, I did not expect to win," said Navaja, who is being offered an athletic scholarship by a bevy of schools, including Far Eastern University.

National Capital Region's Ruffa Bargola ruled the secondary girls' 100m with a 12.84 clocking.

The graduate of Araullo National High School in Manila, who won the silver medal last year, survived a late surge from Western Visayas' Ana Marie Jagocoy, the silver medalist in 12.87. The bronze went to Jee-an Ravoma, who clocked 13 seconds flat.

Calabarzon's Rodquem Maullon came away with the elementary boys' 100m gold by clocking 12 seconds, edging Bicol's Arjay Molina (12.1) and Cotabato Region's Rod Anthony Bacalso (12.2), who settled for the silver and bronze, respectively.

But it was long-legged NCR bet Maureen Emily Shrijver, who has Belgian and Chinese parents but born and raised in Manila, who got the most attention at the rubberized track yesterday.

The 13-year-old Shrijver made heads turn with her looks and speed as she seized the elementary girls' 100m gold by clocking 13.00 seconds.

"I was very nervous because I knew my opponents are also strong. But I gave my best," the incoming freshman at St. Stephen's High School, who won her first-ever Palaro gold, said.

Still, the victories of Bargola, Shrijver, along with University of Sto. Tomas Jose Renato Unso's win in the secondary boys' 400m hurdles, were not enough to catch Western Visayas in the athletics gold tally.

The Region 6 bets increased their haul to 10 golds as Iloilo's Vienna Mae Banebane took top honors in the secondary girls' 400m hurdles and Sagay City's Richie Joy Cabanyog overwhelmed the field in elementary boys' shotput. WV's barefoot runners Josie Malacad and Rieveneth Jayed Penarubia also topped the secondary girls and elementary girls' 800m events, respectively.

The Big City's bid in elementary softball suffered a blow when its clouters lost, 4-1, to Western Visayas, represented by newly-crowned Little League Philippine Series champion Bacolod City.

Western Visayas also showed the way in secondary baseball as it notched win No. 3 at the expense of Davao, 11-0. NCR posted its second win with a 5-2 drubbing of Cotabato Region.*Media Center

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NCR dominates swim events, Cebu boy named fastest athlete