The Straits Games Manila 2013 (October 18-20) is promising to be the friendliest and most fabulously produced sporting event to hit Manila this year. And it’s all thanks to the combined push from two groups – one filled with veteran organizers the other brimming with eager young volunteers.
Veteran organizers
The first group led by Dennis Corteza and his The Library Foundation friends, are mostly in their mid-30s and early 40s, and all veteran organizers eager to make The Straits Games Manila 2013 the splashiest yet in its 12-year run.
Corteza has produced other local sports spectacles like the Ms.U Bowling Pageant, Bowlibining Pilipinas, Billiardbining Plipinas, and Volleybining Pilipinas. He recalls joining The Straits Games 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and coming back to the Philippines with a trove of fun pictures and new friendships.
Corteza’s rave review of the event piqued the interest of his friends, so much so that when the opportunity this year came for the Philippines to host the annual sports event for the first time ever, his gang pledged their unflinching support.
Made up mainly by his volleyball playmates in Ateneo and Valley-belles, Corteza has cobbled together a team of well-established professionals, from an art director to hospitality staff, to ensure The Straits Games Manila 2013 runs without a hitch.
Young volunteers
While Corteza and his buddies guaranteed precise planning and execution for The Straits Games Manila 2013, the event still needed to gain buzz and mileage among potential participants and the press.
Enter The Love Yourself Project, a Philippine-based advocacy filled with young volunteers that has been lauded for its communications campaigns spreading awareness for and encouraging HIV testing among men who have sex with men.
Mobilizing their passionate members, LoveYourself is out to spread the word on The Straits Games Manila 2013 as a positive, confidence-building sports event for men who have sex with men. LoveYourself believes that sports and friendships can help this often-vulnerable cohort build stronger self-esteem and social support systems.
LoveYourself will be rolling out announcements and articles leading up to the event, and will also be fielding correspondents to cover the exciting court action as well as the swanky night outs after each day’s competitions.
Join The Straits Games Manila 2013
Check out the full schedule of activities and game formats. To secure your ticket to the event or for queries on admission prices, schedules and other concerns, contact Dennis Corteza via mobile (+63-918-5338826) or email ([email protected]).
