Baranggay South Poblacion adopts kid chess wizard Robert Abitan

Poster celebrates Robert Abitan's victory in a recent chess tournament.

THE baranggay council of south poblacion, Mambulao, Camnorte, has passed a resolution adopting eight-year-old kid chess wizard Robert Abitan into the village’s feeding program.

Abitan, a son of a poor fisherman family at Purok 7 in Baranggay Parang, has been endorsed to the program by a group of Mambulaoans who included Maria Fe Pica, Dr Egay Aler, ex-councilman Caloy Taboada, Percy A Ostonal and Alfredo P Hernandez.

Robert Abitan and Kap. Leday Aler (right)

Baranggay chairman Leday Aler has hastened young Abitan’s inclusion into the daily feeding program although he comes from the neighboring baranggay of Parang.

The village chief said she would like to help Abitan improve on his game of chess by keeping him physically and mentally healthy.

“Our feeding program, in one way or the other, would be able to nourish him so that he could be physically and mentally fit in every tournament that he plays in,” says Aler.

Abitan will also receive daily tricycle fare money from his school in Parang to the feeding center at Baranggay South Poblacion after his morning class and back to school/home after lunch.

He also  received school materials such as bag, pencils, ballpen, notebooks and writing pad and others from the donors.

Young Abitan is last year’s first kiddie champ in Mambulao’s chess tournament and the kiddie champ in last year’s provincial tournament in labo sponsored by the provincial DepEd.

The young boy belongs to provincial DepEd’s stable of chess talent and is being groomed to represent CamNorte DepEd in this year’s regional tournament in Bicol, for which he is now preparing for.

Abitan is also playing in the junior and senior divisions.

A recent doctor’s report on the boy’s health condition revealed that he was underweight and malnourished.

Aler has been involved in the feeding program in her village even before she was elected as village’s chairman last year.

Abitan was discovered last April by MWBuzz editor Alfredo P Hernandez, who promised to help him in his chess training through assistance from his (Hernandez’s) friends overseas.

The boy has honed his chess game by playing with neighborhood chess addict on a bet of P2 per game, which he would win handily.

He used his winnings to buy bread as he missed his meal most of the time.



For comment, email: ahernandez@thenational.com.pg