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Philippine Bodybuilding History
In 1926, a group of physique fitness enthusiasts banded together and held a contest to determine the best built man as an added attraction of the Manila Carnival. In those days the Carnival was the venue for some competitions that included the very prestigious nationwide search for the Miss Philippines. The Mr. Philippines contest was thus born and declared the winner convincingly was Jose Barredo. Who later became a successful engineer and founder of Fabar, Incorporate. The following year, another contest was held and the title went to the late Luis Bolinao.
In 1928, the American Physical Culture Magazine, a world-renowned publication legenary Bernarr Mac Fadden, featured Luis Agustin who again made news in 1930, when he was awarded a gold medal by Correct Eating and Strength magazine of Philadelphia, USAA. For his devotion and unselfish efforts in developing the cause of bodybuilding in the Philippine, Agustin was awarded a prestigious Certificate of Merit by the International Federation of Bodybuilders, based in Montreal, Canada. Only 10 member nationals of the IFBB citizens who was presented with 1975 Certificate of Merit. Besides Agustin, other Philippines Awardees were Secretary Ponaldo P. Zamora, Commodore Ernesto R. Ogbinar, Lt. Col. Job Mayo, Jr., Rolando T. Pintoy, Salvador Avendanio and Mrs. Lulu E. Crespo.
Before bodybuilding became a sports event, winner were barred from taking part again similar contest. Emergence as a legitimate sporting champions to defend or retain their titles as many times as they are qualified for it.
Organized bodybuilding saw its inception in 1951 when the ELPO Rubber Products headed by its President & General Manager, Antonio L. Geronimo sponsored the first nationwide Mr. Philippines contest at its firm’s compol-out technical expertise and organization talent in putting up the tourney was Tom Ortega, owner of the famed Systomor Club and the Philippines Director of the IFBB. ELPO’s series of Mr. Philippines contest produced some of the countries outstanding physique personalities.
The first winner was Jesus Ramos, Who promptly absorbed into the local movies who became popularly know as “Og”, the Filipino version of Tarzan. Other ELPO succeeding winners included Cebu’s Elpidio Dorotheo and Jose F. Ramos.
In 1945, a new organization know as the Philippines weightlifting and physical Culture Association (PWPCA) took over the holding of the national championships, the Mr. Philippines competitions. The PWAPCA was later absorbed by the PWABA (Philippines Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Association) headed by its first president. Atty. Jose G. Syjuco. In 1964. It became a member of the Asian Bodybuilding Association (ABBA) that led to its becoming a full-pledge member of the international body, the IFBB.
In 1963, the PWABA held its first out-of-town Mr. Philippines contest in Cebu City’s Anal coliseum. An engineer of the Visayas Electric Company, Magdaleno del Mar, bested the contenders from all over the country to win the title. The following year saw Teodoro Moralde also from Cebu, with the coveted title.
In 1965,
Dr. Donato M. Tolentino assumed the presidency of the PWABA and Bacolod City
became the site of that year’s national championship won by Antipas
A. Celorio of Aklan province. The following year, the competition was held
at the Araneta Coliseum, then billed as the biggest dome in the world and
a youthful lieutenant, job A. Mayo, Jr. a former Tokyo, Olympics competitor,
won the crown.
1968 saw the break-up pf PWABA into two organizations-one for bodybuilding
and the other for weightlifting. Physique Culture Association of the Philippines
(PCAP) was born in 1974, it embarked on its most ambitious project hosting
the 10th Asian Bodybuilding Championship, sanctioned by the IFBB at the Araneta
Coliseum. This marked the first time an International Bodybuilding contest
was held the Philippines.
In 1979, IFBB Philippines taking over from the now-defunct PCAP, organized the 15th Mr. Asia Championships held in Hotel Mirador with 13 Nationals participating. Col Levy Macasiano of the Philippines was elected as the President and Mr. Paul Chua of Singapore was re-elected Secretary General/ Treasurer.
Bodybuilding
had its brightest moment when IFBB Philippines organized and stage the 1980
Mr. Universe contest on November 17 at the PICC with the Philippines Plaza
Hotel as the home of the competition. Besides IFBB president Beth Weider,
the sports luminaries in attendance included Bill Pearl and Mike Mentzer and
a host of others.
Manila Hilton Hotel was the site of the bodybuilding competitions of the Southeast
Asian Games hosted by Manila in December 1981
The 1982 Mr. Philippines contest at the PICC was made more memorable by the appearance guest poser, Lou Ferregno; know the world over as the Incredible Hulk.
After these highlights in the hotel local bodybuilding scene 1983 national championships hosted by Bulacan there was a lull with the absence of any competition. This sudden period of inactivity which was proving detrimental to the spot ended in 1985 when Baguio City’s Nick Domalsin, deploring state of Bodybuilding, took it non himself to re-activate the sport. With the backing and support of Paul Chua, he frmed the PBBF (Philippines Bodybuilding Federation) organized the Mr. Philippines contest and the ASEAN Bodybuilding Championship at the Baguio convention Center with Mr. Paul Chua and other Asean delegates in attendance. The untimely incapacitation and eventual death of Mr. Domalsin in 1989, gave away to Iloilo City’s Erwin Chiongson as acting President of the PBBF. Iloilo City kept up the sport’s activities by hosting the 1986 Mr. Philippines championships. Under Chiongson, the birth of women’s bodybuilding and the Mixed pairs competition came into reality.
Roland Dantes was elected to the presidency of the Association in 1988 and during his term of office. The PBBF was changed to PBSF (Philippines Bodybuilding Sports Federation) in compliance wirth the Philippines Olympic committee regulations, 1989 saw the staging of the ASEAN Women’s and Mixed Pairs Championships in Manila at the time when a Coupd’etat was staged by anti-government elements. The competition went on but not without the apprehension and inconveniences that the foreign contestants and visitors experienced.
With the staging of the 16th Southeast Asian Games in Manila in November 1991, the sport of Bodybuilding was again entered in Manila. The Philippines spared on effort to make the event a success and the PBBSF was tasked to show the development of the sports in the country.
The quest to improve one’s physical attributes was inherent even during the earlier years when the current hi-tech exercise machines were beyond one’s imagination. The greatest Philippine National hero. Dr. Jose Rizal, was himself a bodybuilder who trained with home-made cement barbells. The late President Ferdinand E. Marcos was a noted physical fitness buff and sports enthusiast. When he grace the first and only Mr. Universe contest hosted by RP at the PICC he honored the sports by staying throughout the more than four hours competition and was visibly seen enjoying the entire proceedings.
Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, one of the Philippines best-know statesmen former Secretary General of the United Nations and the Foreign Affairs Secretary until the time of his death was anoted martial arts exponent and physical culture enthusiast. Making reference to bodybuilding. Gen Romulo, once said “Bodybuilding is important for Nation-Building. ” This today is the slogan of the International Federation of Bodybuilders.
By: Nene Dela Rama, as published in The Manila Times (Philippine newspaper) circa early nineties
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UPDATES:
After Roland Dantes, Engineer Jun Tanyag was elected PBSF president in 1991. He organized the televised Ginoong Pinoy '91 (Mr. Philippines 1991) championships held at the Meralco Theater, the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Philippine Bodybuilding Team 1991 selections held at Meralco also, and the internationally-televised 1991 SEA Games Manila bodybuilding championships where RP won 1 gold, 4 silvers out of 6 wt. categories.In his present capacity as president of Samahan ng mga Barbelista sa Pilipinas or BARBELISTA, he is presently co-organizing with Erwin Chiongson the proposed Philippine Bodybuilding Team to the Mr. Universe 2003 in Germany and, hopefully, the GINOONG UNIVERSE 2004 PILIPINAS which was officially awarded by NABBA International to be hosted by our country in 2004.
After Jun Tanyag, Stan Carbungco and Vivian Zapanta (a co-BARBELISTA officer) took over as PBSF president in 1992 and 1993 respectively.
Contributed by:
Engineer Jun Tanyag 4/21/2003