Fearless forecast: 10-12 wins this time from athletics.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

THE MOST prolific gold-medal machine of the Philippine contingent in the last Southeast Asian Games will be even more productive this time.

"We're going for 10 to 12 golds in Vietnam," declared controversial Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) president Go Teng Kok even as his coaching staff continued to complain about the lack of training support from the Philippine Sports Commission for the 35-strong athletics squad training in Baguio.

The RP record for most athletics golds in a SEAG edition is 10 and if the athletes run true to form, Go said they might even surpass that achievement.

Of the 31 golds the country clinched in Malaysia two years ago, Patafa accounted for eight on the playing field outright with the ninth gold rewarded months later to Dandy Gallenero in men's javelin after the adjudged winner was disqualified for failing the drug test.

While two previous gold medalists won't be around (heptathlon winner Elma Muros-Posadas has retired and marathon queen Christabel Martes is injured), the mainstays of Go's over-achieving 2001 team, led by Eduardo (Vertek) Buenavista, have shown marked improvements.

Buenavista, barely over 5 feet but a giant on the track with 2 golds in 2001, will be gunning for a long distance hat-trick if the schedule allows him to compete in the 3000 steeplechase, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, where he broke the RP record by over a minute in the Busan Asian Games last year.