Tales From The Darkroom

World Shoot XIV

Sorry if I sound like I'm bragging about my brothers, but I am proud of them. Who wouldn't be? :)

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An article from GunSports Magazine.

BOND OF BROTHERS
By Erwin Basilio

You may well be all too familiar in seeing news reports that says Jay Morales and Jag Lejano winning their respective division in almost every practical sport shooting competition they participated on. Yet, did you know that these two World Shoot XIV-bound shooters are blood brothers? And, did you know what the two brothers do when their hands are not placed firmly on the grips of their handguns?

Much have been written about these two veteran practical shooters, their conquests and how heralded these two are in the world of practical shooting. To recall, Jay and Jag were members of the RP Open Division Team that won first place in World Shoot XII, and were members of the RP Modified Division Team that again placed first in the World Shoot XIII.

GunSports had a chance to interview half-brothers Jerome ‘Jay’ Morales and Jeufro Emil Roel ‘Jag’ Lejano in their residence at Cainta, Rizal. While their house boasts of many conversational artwork pieces, interesting landscape and other family mementos, one cannot escape the fact that the most interesting aspect of the abode were the brothers themselves. In this article, we get a chance to know more about these two siblings – fierce rivals inside the course of fire, but with a strong brotherly bond inside their veins. Are you ready? Standby . . .

Top Gun

Jay Morales, also known in the local practical shooting circuit at “Top Gun”, was born to parents Wilfredo Morales and Romeliza De Leon (Jay’s father left for and settled in Spain while he was still young).

At 35 years of age, Jay is actually the second of two Morales brothers, the first being Joel “Vernon” De Leon, 36, who at the time of this writing was in the United States.

Growing up in a family whose business is primarily that of firearm and ammunitions dealership, it is of little wonder that young Vernon and Jay would be picking up handguns and be initiated into the world of practical shooting at an early age. Of the two, Jay would be more entrenched into the sport, and would later receive numerous accolades for his sterling performance during practical shooting competitions.

Jay strikes us as a person who loves the simple things in life. When not busy practicing for and participating in competitions, the ‘Top Gun’ would spend his time working out in the gym and playing badminton with his friends. He loves taking care of his dogs – a passion he shares with his brother, Jag. His canine assortment include four pit bulls, two mini pinchers and a German shepherd he got as a gift from no less than the IPSC Regional Director for the Philippine Region himself, Congressman Juan Ponce Enrile, Jr.

Wok with Jay

In 1989, Jay transferred to Baguio City and has been looking after the family’s gun shop there. However, it was during his stay in the City of Pines when Jay started to pursue something that became a second passion to this renaissance man – cooking.

Meet Jay, the chef. As early as his elementary days, Jay became interested with the culinary arts. He would recall many instances when he would put on an apron and whip up something for the family in the kitchen. Just as shooters would queue up to walk the stage, Jay would observe and watch other people’s culinary styles and to adapt to his own.

While he can cook up a variety of dishes, Jay admitted that his expertise essentially lies on the food he himself likes to eat. “I love cooking Filipino dishes because those are my favorite food. I enjoy cooking adobo, sinigang sa miso, papaitan and pinikpikan. However, my top specialties are in no specific order: sinigang na baboy sa gabi, lamb chops and chicken pork adobo,” shares Top Gun. “Eating wise, my favorite food are beef steaks and fish. In terms of beverage, none beats pure drinking water,” said Jay.

In Baguio City, Jay set up a restaurant – Mama Pining’s Lutong Bahay sometime the year 2000 inside the Cooyesan Mall. Because of the encouraging results he got from the venture, he opened up another diner, Box-to-Go the following year along Assumption Street. Both outlets served simple but savory home-cooked meals with Jay himself at the helm and at the kitchen.

However, despite the initial success he had with his fledging food retail business, other equally important matters that needed his full time attention forced the budding chef and entrepreneur to temporarily cease operations. With a trace of melancholy in his voice, Jay said “Definitely, the food service industry is something that I am going to pursue in the years to come.”

SPD Jag

Dubbed by local shooters as SPD (pronounced as “speedy”) Jag for his superhuman speed in engaging the course of fire, Jeufro Emil Roel L. Lejano was born to parents Emer Lejano and Romeliza De Leon-Lejano.

SPD Jag, 26 was followed by his 24-year old sister, Jill Lejano, whose interests are geared towards photography and music.

Being a brother to practical sport shooting enthusiasts Vernon and Jay, Jag soon developed his own reputation in the same sporting arena. SPD Jag would commonly participate in the Open and Modified Divisions, while Jay usually competes in the Open and the Production Divisions. Jag’s most memorable moment in the sport was when at the young age of 21, he became a world champion when he, together with Open Division teammates Jethro Dionisio and Patrick Marvin Sanchez emerged as the team champion in World Shoot XII that was held in Cebu in 1999.

Mutt and Jeuf

The victory in 1999 however, came with a price. You see, one thing about SPD Jag that not too many people know about is that Jag’s favorite pastime aside from practical shooting is taking care of dogs.

“I had two pit bulls at that time, one male and one female. Tyra, the female pit bull somehow got out of our house unnoticed and got lost in our neighborhood while I was competing in Cebu. So, while I was celebrating our team’s victory then, a part of me was filled with sadness over the loss of one of my pet dogs.”

Jag’s hobby with dogs started in his early teens when one of his uncles, Sonny de Leon, gave him a German shepherd dog. “It really got me started in knowing more about dogs, the different breeds and their unique characteristics. As you may know, each breed has their own distinct strengths and weaknesses,” said Jag.

Humble and a bit on the shy side, Jag would be first to admit that he is still in the process of improving his expertise on canines. When he was just 21 years of age, Jag purchased two pit bulls from a kennel in Paranaque. He described his acquisitions as “matapang at malakas ang resistensiya”, having purchased them from a fighting pedigree. He named the dogs “Death Row” and “Tyra” – the latter after the pit bull he lost in 1999.

Jag soon got immersed in his hobby. Probably smitten by the cute pug in MIB 2, he purchased three Chinese pugs from Coty Ochuca, former president of the Philippine Canine Club. Last January, he bought a Siberian husky pup from a certain Sonny Bascol. Named as “Wilson”, the husky has been entered by Jag in about 20 or so dog shows and events and has won several competitions – the latest being held in Alabang, Muntinglupa in March of this year. Another husky, “Candy” was purchased by Jag in March and is presently being groomed for similar dog shows.

Jag admitted that his hobby can be a bit pricey, but the happiness he derives from his pets is something that money cannot buy.

Bond of Brothers

Everybody who knows the bothers would attest that Jay and Jag are very close to one another. Jay personally knows all the friends of Jag, and the same goes for Jag on Jay’s close friends. During the GunSports interview itself, the bond of the two brothers and that of their family was distinctively palpable.

After emerging as top finishers in their respective divisions after a highly competitive process of qualifying matches supervised by the Philippine Practical Shooting Association, ‘Top Gun’ Morales and ‘SPD Jag’ Lejano will once again be wearing the country’s colors in the coming World Shoot XIV, to be held in Guayaquil, Ecuador. This time however, Jay Morales and Jag Lejano will be competing under different divisions – Jay shall be competing under the Production Division along with Rosendo Castro, Jr., Winston Amigo Chan and Danny Torrevillas, and Jag under the Modified Division along with Nelson Uygongco, Joseph Sy and Lyndon Biraogo.

Jerome ‘Jay’ L. Morales and Jeufro Emil Roel ‘Jag’ L. Lejano – half brothers, full champion shooters.

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They're leaving tonight to Ecuador with mama. We're hoping that they'll bring home something for us Filipino to be proud of (even if the Government doesn't support this sport.)

This year, will be the last time for my Kuya Jay to join the Philippine Team in World Shoot (accdg. to mama). I hope Jag doesn't retire anytime soon!

Posted by suplada at August 16, 2005 1:20 PM