Borlongan prepares for SEAG 2019

CAGAYAN de Oro’s top youth footballer JB Borlongan of the University of the Philippines, is eyeing another place in the South East Asian Games (SEAGames) which will be held in Manila on December next year.

The 19-year-old son of business parents Greg and Marjou Chabon Borlongan is back here for a holiday in the City of Friendship after the grueling and title clinching UAAP season with the UP Kicking Fighting Maroons.

He will be back in Manila by the end of this month to start training for the coming 2018-19 football season and for the Philippine U23 team which will prepare for the SEAGames.

“I have won two titles in my three seasons with UP and hopefully we will win another title next year,’’ he said. UP won the UAAP football crown in his rookie year and then made it to the top four last year. They won their second title early this year.

The UAAP season will come first next year before the SEAGames and he might also finish his Sports Science degree by the time the UAAP season ends next year and their SEGames preparation will go on full swing.

He said that he has 50 more units remaining before graduation but he still has two more playing years remaining in the UAAP. He will think it over if he will still play his last season or play professional in the PFL or come home to CdO and help in his parents business.

Aside from his studies at UP, his top priority is to lead the Philippines to the long time evasive medal finish in the SEAGames.

JB played in the SEGames in Malaysia last year for coach Marlon Maro.

They won against Cambodia and Timor Liste but failed to advance to the semis after losing to Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The PFF has not named the coach of the team yet but certainly coach Maro will not coach the team. Coach Maro was the head coach of the Davao Aguilas FC but recently resigned and was replaced by his deputy Mel Anzures.

JB Borlongan and his team mate from Cebu, King Miyagi are the heart and soul of the Kicking Fighting Maroons. Both of them scored nine goals in their title clinching performance in the UAAP this year.

Borlongan is the first Kagayanon to play for a Philippine Youth football team. In fact, he played many times already having started to see action for the original “Little” Azkals in 2011 while he was barely in his teens.

He played in Kota Kinabalo, Malaysia for the Philippine Under-13 (U13) team in the Asian Football Federation (AFC) Festival of football.

One of his teammates then was fellow Kagayanon Troy Limbo who is now playing and studying in Sunderland England. Limbo is also qualified to play in the SEAGames next year.

They also both played for the “Little” Azkals in Italy in 2012 under coach Oliver Colina. (l.biantan@gmail.com)