KUWAIT CITY, March 15:  Armed with sturdy fishing rods, hooks and sinkers, members of the Filipino Fishing Group demonstrated their casting abilities during the Annual Fishing Competition that was held on Friday along the Kuwaiti bay. The fishing competition sponsored by Luis Dela Cruz and his colleagues at Zain Co kicked off at 10 am and concluded at around 4pm as the group gathered to compare their catch for the day. The most common catch among the participants was the Salmon Catfish or also known as ‘Kanduli’ while others caught Purse-eyed scad, Short-bodied mackerel, Indian halibut, Threadfin bream and Sardinella.
The Board of Judges composed of Dela Cruz, Fredy Purificacion, Marte S Garcia and Max ‘Jun’ Garcia came up with a unanimous decision and declared Danilo Lumibao as the first prize winner with the biggest catch for the day for accumulating the greatest number of fish of various species except Salmon Catfish, Stingray, Eel and Puffer Fish. He was awarded with a laptop.

Hobby
“I’m very happy today. I believe this is just my lucky day. I didn’t expect to win the first place. Fishing is my hobby and winning in the competition is just an added bonus,” stated Lumibao.
Trailing behind Lumibao was Henry Lavague who caught four big-sized Salmon Catfish. He got a rod and reel for his prize.  Landing on the third spot was Pabalo Bartolome who was also handed with a rod and reel.
The fishing competition was participated in by 27 fishing enthusiasts namely, Henry Layague, Eric Brion, Rey P.J Gener, Arnel Licoan, Rolando Baterzal, Abdul R. Dotu Utoh, Roderick Escobar, Reimond Santos, Benigno Layague, Randy Habos,Ricky Gabilo, Cleford Macantan, Wilmar Rabe, Alforso Omnos, Romes Camarao , Rey Calma, Agusto M. Caballes, Dannio A. Rico, Danilo Lumibao, Efren Sevilla, Arnold Abdunag, Lowel Abapo, Max ‘’Jun ‘’ Garcia, Norma Calina, Alan Acman, Pabalo Bartolome and Rey Cabotaje.

Campaign
Each participant was asked to use one fishing rod only with a maximum of three hooks of any size. The baits they used were shredded fish or shrimps. “Per rule, we don’t allow worms to be used as baits for environmental reasons. We support Kuwait in its environmental campaign,” explained Dela Cruz.
Dela Cruz who was one of the founding members of the Filipino Fishing Group encouraged all Filipinos as well as other expatriates to try fishing during their free time. “Fishing is a great hobby. It relaxes you as you enjoy the sea breeze and the breathtaking view of the Kuwait bay. And if you get lucky, you end up with a good catch that you can enjoy for dinner,” he enthused. He thanked all his colleagues for making the fishing event a successful one.