HE was all around when the late table tennis Olympian Ian Nietes Lariba harvested gold medals in Palarong Pambansa during her elementary and high school days with Corpus Christi School in Cagayan de Oro.
He was also a busy soul in assisting Northern Mindanao athletes as a trainer, coach, and facilitator of their eligibility documents in many successful national campaigns in the past that the Northern Mindanao sports community deeply grieved the untimely demise of the Department of Education’s reliable sports ally Eric Agawin Miguel, 55.
“There will be no one like him whose contribution in uplifting Northern Mindanao athletes in their quest for glory was so valuable we can only mourn and reminisce our great memories with him,” said Cagayan de Oro sports coordinator Jaymar Rivera, a former student of the venerable Miguel at the so-called ‘Home of Champions’ Corpus Christi school where UAAP hoops sensation Joel Diomar ‘JD’ Cagulangan of the newly-crowned UP Fighting Maroons came from.
Miguel, who died from diabetic complications on the night of May 13, will be laid to rest on Saturday, May 21 at the Divine Memorial Park in barangay Bulua, this city.
“Pahuway na, uban sa tao nga nisalig nako nga pwede ko mag soccer player bisag akong lawas di katuohan maka dagan. But naka tulo na ko sa national. Thank you Sir Eric Miguel sa tanan tanan pati na sa imu pasensya sa akong kalabad og pabadlong. Usa ka sa tao naka push sa ako maka quit og smoke, sir. 11 years and counting nako naka quit, sir. Salamat kaayo, sir. Ride in peace sir Eric,” said lady footballer Roselle Lou Mendoza, among a hundred athletes and people from all walks of life who either took to social media or visited Miguel's wake at Greenhills Memorial Park in showing sympathy.
One of them is the outgoing governor and Congressman-elect of Misamis Oriental Yevgeny Vincente ‘Bambi’ Emano, who was accompanied by her two sisters in newly-minted Tagoloan Mayor Nadia Emano-Elipe and Cagayan de Oro City Councilor Ivy Emano when he visited his high school mentor.
Miguel’s death followed after the pandemic time’s passing away of Dr. Alfonso del Fierro, Jr and his wife Corazon, the founding owners of Corpus Christi School whose varsity players ― including La Salle legend Ian Lariba ― produced the biggest bulk of accumulated medals won by the Northern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association in the annually-held Palarong Pambansa National Students meet.
“With them (the del Fierros and Miguel) gone too soon, I don’t know what future lies ahead for Corpus Christi and NMRAA team in the national sports stage such as the Palaro, Batang Pinoy, and Milo Little Olympics,” said Jeanny Ancheta, the mother of Palaro chess veteran David Rey Ancheta, who brought home the last national kiddies title of the now-extinct Shell Active Chess.
“He’s the face of Corpus Christi’s sports program. Sir Eric’s death is such a big blow to Northern Mindanao sports in the in-school meet,” said fellow coach and teacher Pearl Carmita ‘Ching’ Obenza.
