Filipino Marco Antonio Torres to Carry Olympic Torch!

Filipino Marco Antonio Torres is one of eight foreigners living in China who have been selected to joint the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch run! Torres, a marketing manager, was chosen from 262 applicants in a contest organized by Lenovo Group and the China Daily newspaper. Each person will carry the torch for 200 meters.

Marco Antonio Torres is a marketing manager for M Moser Associates and a reporter for Metrozine Magazine. Marco started an online campaign for votes; he even wrote a blog to appeal for such. Soon, there were over a thousand blogs about his dream! And I kid you not! Congratulations kabayan! We are proud of you! Mabuhay!

From Marco's site:

• "Mga kababayan! I am ecstatic! This is all so overwhelming. Finally, a Filipino will once again carry that glorius Olympic torch. I just received the official confirmation from Lenovo (see attached). All our work towards this cause has paid off. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Apparently, the formal announcement was done simultaneously today via China Daily (cover story) and the website. Just a few minutes ago, in fact, I received a call from Associated Press (AP) then Southern China Morning Post (No. 1 HK newspaper) on how I am feeling. I also got a call from ABS already, they want to make it in TV Patrol by this pm... whew....this is all so amazing. Even the boss of my company (based in MMoser HK) asked CorpComm to explore PR possibilities for the company on this....he he... Reading from the news articles, apparently we beat several CEOs (Maersk, Bayer Healthcare, Ford Mazda) as well as diplomats (including the ambassadors to China of Seychelles and Greece). Nothing beats going for a dream, giving it all you've got and getting it. Thank you once again....wala talagang tatalo when Pinoy Power is unleashed! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!"

Other winners include:

• Jenny Bowen from San Francisco, California, who lives in Beijing and runs a foundation to help Chinese orphans;
  
• Meena Barot, from India, is a business manager in the northern Chinese city ofShijiazhuang;
• Yoshitoshi Mizuya, from Nagano, Japan, chairman of a Beijing-based computer company;
• Luis Hong-Sanchez, from Colombia, a student in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai;
• Yury Ilyakhin, from Moscow, general manager of a Beijing information technology company;
• Deirdre Smyth, who has dual British-Venezuelan nationality, a graphic designer in Beijing;
• and Werner Ebel, from Berlin, a civil engineer in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou.

Related posts and sites:

• Filipino to Carry Olympic Torch in Beijing!
• Pinoy Torchbearer
• Expats for Olympic Torchbearers
• Dream Becomes Reality
• It's Official! It's Marco!
  
• Marco in the China Daily
• The Winning Eight
• The Eight Expats
• Dream A Little Dream
• Pinoy Wants to Carry Torch

"Go for gold with the AnitoKid."

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