Zapantas honored by House resolution

Rosauro Zapanta and his wife, Elsa, found themselves in the unfamiliar situation of receiving an award last week when the House of Representatives honored them with a resolution, which recognized the couple’s over 20 years of organizing bowling tournaments in the Commonwealth.

Usually the ones handing out trophies to top keglers of tenpin bowling tournaments they helped organize as officers of the Saipan Bowling Association and the Philippine Bowling Association, the Zapantas took the spotlight last Wednesday when they became recipients of House Resolution No. 14-107 authored by Vice Speaker Timothy P. Villagomez.

The resolution, which was adopted last Feb. 11, was enacted “To recognize Rosauro (Ross) D. and Elsa T. Zapanta for their voluntary contributions to the development of the sport of bowling in the community and for fostering youth interest in the sport by conducting a youth bowling programs on Saturdays.

Villagomez himself gave a fitting tribute not only to Ross Zapanta’s work in the community and in sports but also to his contributions as an employee of the Office of the Public Auditor, when he mentioned that the legislative branch is always used to seeing the long-time civil servant on Capitol Hill for OPA matters, but this time “he is up here to be honored for the valuable service he renders outside office hours.”

His contributions to the government didn’t go unnoticed either when the resolution noted that Ross Zapanta has been “a recipient of the 1994 Employee of the Year Award and was also selected by the Philippine Consulate as one of 10 outstanding overseas Filipino workers in the CNMI (Managerial Category) in 2004.”

Elsa Zapanta, for her part, the resolution read, “has devoted her time to both bowling associations, serving as assistant treasurer, conducting bowling tournaments and leagues, actively soliciting bowlers to be members of either association, and in encouraging bowlers to compete in local and international tournaments.”

The resolution also said that for the past five years the Zapantas have coordinated and directed almost all of Saipan’s bowling activities, including the annual CNMI May Masters Invitational Tournament and the SBA Pepsi King and Queen of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament.

It also said that the couple pioneered the Saturday Youth Bowling Program to develop and provide the youth of the CNMI an opportunity to engage in bowling for fun and competition, and also “to instruct youth bowlers on sport discipline and bowling etiquette.”

Through their efforts, the resolution read, “ the SBA Saturday Bowling Program has been successful for many years in producing some of Saipan’s most outstanding youth bowlers, many of whom bowl in adult leagues and compete at the international level.

It went on to say that, “for those youth bowlers who choose not to compete, the SBA Saturday Bowling Program has provided these children and young adults with an outlet to engage in a positive and constructive activity outside of school and home.”

The Zapantas are also parents to top youth bowlers Ruselle and Raymond, who have represented the CNMI in more than a handful of regional and international tournaments.

The House resolution was certified by Speaker Benigno Fitial, and other copies were given to the offices of Gov. Juan N. Babauta and Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela.