SIARGAO, Philippines – Filipino wildcards John Mark “Marama” Tokong and Jayuard Alciso gave the home crowd something to cheer about but saw their campaigns come to an end in the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour Philippines Pro at Cloud 9 on Monday morning.
Tokong bowed to Australian world No. 7 Ethan Ewing, while Alciso suffered a setback against familiar rival Kanoa Igarashi of Japan.
Fresh from a memorable win in his previous heat, the Siargao native known as the “King of Cloud 9” tried to keep his momentum going but found himself up against a tough opponent in Ewing.
Tokong came away with 11.54 points, short of Ewing’s 14.50, as the Australian moved on to the next round of the prestigious event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), with the support of Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert Lyndon Barbers, General Luna Mayor Johnson Sajulga and Vice Mayor Romina Sajulga.
Still, the defeat did little to take away from Tokong’s experience of competing against one of the surfers he had looked up to for years.
The Filipino admitted he felt surprisingly at ease sharing the lineup with Ewing, whom he considers one of his idols. He was also pleased to discover how friendly the Australian was outside the competition.
“I got my hand. I was so comfortable, like when I was starting against this guy. He's one of my idols. And I can't believe he's kind of like a friend. He's very nice, and he knows what he's doing,” said Tokong.
For Tokong, the event was also an opportunity to see how far Siargao has come, with surfing helping put the island on the map and bringing in visitors from different parts of the world.
He hopes the close ties among residents and local businesses will remain as the island continues to attract tourists.
“This island is so beautiful. Before, back then, all the travelers here, I was a surfer, and now there are so many people who know this place because of the waves, the island and especially the community here in Siargao. It's so special, and this is why I love our island because the community is so good. The business community here on the island is really like we're helping each other, and this is how important it is for me. I just wish that we're going to keep going like this,” added Tokong.
Alciso, meanwhile, came close to making a late charge against Igarashi but ran out of time to turn the heat around. The Asian Games bronze medalist managed just 4.17 points on his final wave as the 30-minute heat came to a close, leaving him short of Igarashi’s 12.90 total.
Igarashi built his winning score with a 6.67 on his third wave and a 6.23 on his fourth, enough to keep Alciso at bay and secure his place in the next round.
Asian Games gold medalist Igarashi, meanwhile, had nothing but praise for Alciso, whom he faced in last month's Asian Games, describing the Filipino as a talented surfer.
"He's such an amazing surfer. I was competing with him in the Asian Games last month and he's such an amazing talent and he had such a good heat yesterday," said Igarashi.
Also supporting the event are the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and NEA/SIARELCO. Surfers who fail to advance are assured of US$13,000 (around P830,000), while the eventual champion will pocket US$80,000 (approximately P5.1 million).
Fans can catch the competition live through the One Sports YouTube channel and Cignal Play. TMT
