John Philip Dueñas (left) and Southeast Asian Games medalist Mary Joy Tabal during a recent visit to the Cebu Daily News newsroom.(CDN/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
JOHN Philip Dueñas, the man behind the success of Philippine marathon queen Mary Joy Tabal, is looking to do more for Cebuano runners.
The 28-year-old Dueñas, who wants to call himself a trainer/athlete, is mainly responsible for the rise of Tabal from a simple sprinter from the Southwestern University to a multi-titled long distance runner who eventually became the country’s fastest marathoner.
His efforts with Tabal was highlighted when the petite Cebuana runner bagged a silver medal in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.
But Dueñas isn’t stopping with Tabal. In fact, he said he is pushing for the creation of an all-Cebuano athletics pool which he will help train for future races.
In a recent visit to Cebu Daily News, Dueñas said the formation of an all-Cebuano running team will be a huge help for those who want to follow the footsteps of Tabal, who is now part of the Philippine Team.
“Nindot kaayo paminawn nga ang Cebu naa gyud lig-on nga team sa future so ako gyud paninguhaon nga maka porma mi ug team nga mao mo represent sa Cebu sa future international races,” Dueñas said. (It would be nice to hear that Cebu has a strong team in the future so I’ll try my best to be able to put up this team that will represent Cebu in future international races.)
Dueñas said that with proper guidance, potential runners here in Cebu can be better and that may pave the way for them to be more known nationally and internationally.
Tabal is one perfect example of Dueñas’ success stories. He said the former SWU star aimed high and trained hard under his guidance. And it paid off, considering how many races Tabal has won locally, nationally and internationally.
“Na prove man nato nga kaya ra.” (We proved that we can do it.)
He said there are a lot of potential runners here in Cebu, citing the Andrin siblings as an example, who could be future stars in the sport. With proper guidance and training, he said local runners like them can go a long way.
And that’s what Dueñas envisions.
But for that plan to succeed, he will need every bit of help he can get.
“Coaches of these potential runners and I can help each other in guiding these kids towards the right path. That way, I don’t interfere with their coaching. I can just help in any way I can,” he said.
Dueñas actually started helping potential runners when he and Tabal partnered with the Cebu City Sports Commission in putting up a grassroots development program for running in barangay Guba, Cebu City, the hometown of the latter.
He also had his own coaching program dubbed JPD Coaching. He trains not just runners but also triathletes.
Dueñas is also a runner and a triathlete and gained experience in coaching by attending different seminars in the country and abroad.