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Richard Gomez has been fighting the war on drugs, long before he became a politician. He is a firm believer that giving the youth an alternative interest, specifically sports, can help them stay away from drugs. In 2001, he founded the K.I.D.S. Foundation, an acronym that stands for Kabataan Iwas Droga sa Tulong ng Sports. Gomez himself is a nationally respected sportsman. In 2005, he bagged the gold medal in fencing while representing the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games. Among other sports that he plays are rowing, golf, basketball and volleyball. Through the KIDS Foundation, he has managed to organize young people in various communities to develop an interest in various sports, by providing sports facilities and sponsoring sporting events that encourage healthy competition. This social scheme against drugs has been corroborated by many organizations worldwide. By providing teenagers something to do, and something to strive for, the proliferation of drug use is stifled. On top of this, inspiring the youth to love sports helps mold their minds to encourage them to achieve personal and career goals. Therefore, it is no surprise that one of the first major projects of Gomez, as mayor of the City of Ormoc, was to promote sports and cultural activities to the residents and youth of Ormoc. This is all part of the Get Ormoc Moving Again (GOMA) program, which encompasses sports and cultural competitions and other events. #GetOrmocMovingAgain Following are just some examples of activities under the GOMA program. The Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival (TLBF) took place on October 27 – 30, 2016. Together with SP member Vince Rama, Mayor Gomez joined the fun with the bikers. This is one of the popular mountain cycling events in the country. This year’s race was a UCI Class 3 event. During Ormoc’s 69th Charter Day celebrations, Mayor Gomez’s GOMA program sponsored several competitions. Below is the Chess Tournament at the Ormoc City Superdome organized by the Ormoc Chess Club. The finals of the Voleyball (Dayon2x) Category at the Ormoc City Plaza being graced by Mayor Richard Goma Gomez(https://www.facebook.com/richard.g.gomez.1) last October 19, 2016. The Cheerdance Competition (Elementary and High School Category) of the 2016 DepEd Ormoc Division Meet at Ormoc City Sports School (OCSS) Complex (Public) Below are the champions of the recently concluded inter-LGU Basketball Tournament 2016 (ORMOC LGU VS. ISABEL LGU). Ormoc’s Charter Day celebration was a month-long celebration at the Ormoc Superdome held in October 2016. Indeed, sports plays a vital role in Mayor Richard Gomez’s thrust to eradicate drug use in Ormoc City. The Ormoc City LGU has already seen hundreds of drug criminals surrender to law enforcement officers. Mayor Gomez’ approach to the drug issue is in fact unique because it combines law enforcement with providing alternative activities for the youth. So much has been accomplished in his first few months in office. But there is still so much to be done, and he is hardly running out of ideas. The city of looking forward to more.
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