Teresita "Tisha" Dominguez Abundo (July 12, 1949 – August 13, 2023) was a Filipina educator and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player who served as Philippine Sports Commissioner from 1998 to 2001.

Early life and education

Teresita Dominguez "Tisha" Abundo was born to Antonio Dominguez and Leonor Patrick. Her father was a government employee at the Manila City Hall while her mother was a housewife. Abundo attended the

University of the East The University of the East (), also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when i ...

on a varsity scholarship where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Education, with a major in Physical Education and minor in English.

Career

Volleyball

Abundo was the youngest Filipina to become a member of the national volleyball team when, at age 17, she wore the colors of the country in the 1966

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. Four years later, she represented the Philippines in the 1970 Asian Games, also in Bangkok. She played in the

Summer Universiade The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

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in 1967 and the Asian Zonal Volleyball Championships in Manila in 1974. She won a Philippine Presidential Award in 1969 as the “Most Outstanding Female National Volleyball Player”.

Teaching

In 1972 Abundo began teaching at University of the East. In 1990, she was appointed Director of Physical Education at the

Philippine School of Business Administration The Philippine School of Business Administration is a college located in Quezon City in Metro Manila, Philippines. The college was established in 1963 in Manila. Its Quezon City campus opened in June 1963. In September 2013, the Quezon City cam ...

(PSBA).

Modeling career

Abundo was a member of Karilagan Arts International and was named their signature model in 1974. She modeled for fashion designers Ben Farrales and Pitoy Moreno. She was a member of the cultural and trade missions organized by the Department of Tourism that traveled to 11 states in the United States,

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and

in the 1970s.

Sports administration

Abundo founded the National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA), consisting of 19 educational institutions. She also served as the founding president of the first national athletic organization for Philippine tertiary level sports, the Federation of Higher Education Sports Association (FHESA). She helped establish the

Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines The Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines, abbreviated as FESSAP is a university sports federation based in the Philippines established in 1999. It is recognized by the Commission on Higher Education since 1999 and member of t ...

in 2009.

Philippine Sports Commissioner

Abundo was appointed Philippine Sports Commissioner in 1998. In the position, she organized the Philippines' first ''Palarong Kababaihan'' (Women's Games) as part of the celebration of the International Day for Women in 2000. She laid down the foundation of the Philippine Sports Talent Identification Program (PSTIP), the Philippines' first attempt to include scientific parameters in the identification and selection of sports potentials. Abundo represented the country at the International Olympic Academy in

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in 1999, where she delivered a paper on ''Women, Sports and Development: Towards Empowerment and Equity in the Philippines.''

Death

Teresita Abundo died on August 13, 2023, at the age of 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abundo, Tisha 1949 births 2023 deaths Filipino female models Sportspeople from Manila Filipino women's volleyball players Philippines women's international volleyball players University Athletic Association of the Philippines volleyball players Filipino sports executives and administrators Models from Manila Medalists at the 1967 Summer Universiade Summer World University Games medalists in volleyball FISU World University Games silver medalists for the Philippines