Two years ago, when the country hosted the Southeast Asian Games when the Swimming competition was held from November 29 to December 4 at the Trace Aquatics Center in Los Banos, Laguna, and featured 32 events.
Four Fil-Americans, all trained in the US under prominent coaches, and local swimmers culled from the national eliminations, the Palarong Pambansa and Philippine Olympic Festival, are also on the national team seeing action in the competitions slated Dec. 7-11 at the Aquatic Center, His Majesty the King’s 80th birth anniversary stadium, here.
Molina, winner of the 200 and 400 individual medley and 200m breaststroke in the Manila SEA Games, gained a slot in the 2008 Olympics when his clocking of 2:03.06 in the 200m IM met the Olympic qualifying time of 2:05.65.
Four Fil-Americans on the team are 20-year-old James Walsh, a pre-med scholar at the University of Florida; Daniel Coakley of the University of Hawaii, Jaclyn Pangilinan of Harvard University in Boston, and Erica Totten of the University of Arkansas.
Walsh established the RP mark in the 100m and 200m butterfly in the Conoco Philips USA competition in July this year. Pangilinan holds the national 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke records.
Totten, who also holds the RP mark in the 400IM from the last SEA Games, made huge inroads this year, setting new RP norms in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle. Coakley, a promising swimmer at 18, made the grade with his impressive finish in the 50 and 100m breaststroke and freestyle in last year’s World Junior championships.
Completing the cast are Ernest Dee of La Salle, Kendrick Uy who joined Arabejo in summer training at Bolles School in Florida under the Olympic Solidarity Movement, Denjylie Cordero, a product of the Philippine Olympic Festival, 18-year-old Marichi Gandionco, a swimming scholar at the University of Nevada, Celina Gonzalez of TRACE Aquatic Center in Laguna., Nikita Dacera and Nicole Santiago.
No other than De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Tankers and Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Stingrays member and 2007 UAAP swimming championship men's division MVP Ernest Lorenzo "Enchong" Dee wears arena AGL-1400 EMBL swimming glass (mirror Swedish type) and ARN-6014 DGRN Half Spats nux-F and participated at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games swimming competitions at the Aquatic Center, His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary Stadium, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, when he was in lane 8 of men’s 100-meter butterfly finals on December 9, 2007 at past 6:29 p.m. local time (7:29 p.m. Manila time) and lane 1 of men’s 200-meter butterfly finals on Tuesday, December 11 at past 6:20 p.m. local time (7:20 p.m. Manila time) due to activists clashed with riot police in Manila, Quezon City, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Marikina, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Cainta, Taytay, Angono, Binangonan, Pasay, Paranaque, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa and San Pedro, and he was the eighth place finish in the said event with the time of 56.87 seconds (100-meter butterfly) and 2 minutes, 11.47 seconds (200-meter butterfly).
Besides Dee is fellow DLSU Green Tanker turned Makati Skipjacks Swimming Club member Johansen Benedict "Johan" Aguilar is wearing arena ARN-4091 WHT silicone swimming cap, AGL-1400_ EMBL swimming glass (mirror Swedish type) and ARN-6008M GRN Half Spats nux-K Power Strush and competing in men's 200-meter backstroke heats and finals last December 7, 2007.
In 2015, Dee would became a houseguest and host in the daily reality show "Pinoy Big Brother" (PBB): 737.
