Manila

MANILA, Feb. 11 — Recent triumphs in the world level competitions, where the national men’s and women’s poomsae teams emerged at the top of the victory podium, could well hand the Philippines a sweep of all five events in the coming 26th Southeast Asian Games this November in Indonesia.

National coach Igor Mella revealed that the Philippine Taekwondo Association is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to dominate the poomsae discipline in the men’s and women’s individual, team and mixed competitions.

“The possibility is there. Our women’s team is still intact and we are working in keeping the men’s team together, too,” Mella told his audience during the Friday SCOOP Sa kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.

“We are now in the process of finalizing the composition of both teams with the possible inclusion of fresh talents we discovered in the recent Carlos Palanca Jr. national championships,” Mella said during the forum, sponsored by Coca Cola, TV-5, Mang Inasal and FILA.

The teams to be formed, according to Mella, who was at the forum along with Jake Piccio, organizer of the 2011 Governor Alfredo Maranon National Open Swimming Championships, will most-likely represent the country in the Sixth World Poomsae Championships set in July in Vladivostok, Russia.

The national women’s jins won the team competitions when Rani Ann Ortega, Janice Lagman and Camille Alarilla disposed of all comers in the 2008 World Championships in Cairo, Egypt, a feat duplicated by the men’s squad composed of Jean-Pierre Sabido, his brother Brian and Anthony Matias last year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Piccio, father of NCAA MVP Kaifer Piccio, announced that the Governor’s Cup, which is in its sixth year, will be held February 19 to 20 at the Panaad Sports Complex swimming pool where some 300 to 350 swimmers representing clubs from all over the archipelago will take part.

Mella warned that although the Filipino jins will be among those favored to...