P12M 1ST PACQUIAO SPORTS CHALLENGE KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND
By Aquiles Z. Zonio
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 07 Dec 2015
GENERAL SANTOS CITY ? The 1st Mindanao-wide Manny Pacquiao Sports Challenge kicked off over the weekend here drawing participants even from faraway place like Tawi-Tawi.
Boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao earmarked a P12-million budget from his own pocket to stage the sports event this year.
The provincial government of Tawi-Tawi, however, sent only a team of chess players to participate in the sports competition slated from Dec. 4 to 8.
Gabby Abdulrachman, Tawi-Tawi team manager, revealed that distance and financial constraint prevented the provincial government from sending a complete delegation to compete in 11 different sports events.
?Our team will participate only in the chess tournament. Maybe, next year we?ll be sending more players to take part in various sports contest,? Abdulrachman said.
Participants to the events are local government employees except for boxing wherein contenders were amateur boxers coming from competing LGUs.
Sarangani Boardmember Elmer De Peralta, Commissioner for Finance, disclosed that more than 1200 participants from six different LGUs showed up during the kickoff ceremony held at Lagao Gymnasium here.
The six LGUs which sent players to this year?s 1st Mindanao-wide Manny Pacquiao Sports Challenge include Davao Del Sur, Iligan City, Tagum City, General Santos, Tawi-Tawi and Sarangani.
Players from these LGUs will compete in different sports events like boxing, kickball, volleyball, basketball, lawn tennis, billiard, table tennis, shooting, dart, scrabble and chess.
Three other LGUs ? Davao City, Cagayan De Oro City and Lutayan town in Sultan Kudarat ? sent just a boxing delegation.
This year?s sports challenge will also highlight inter-LGU sports competition among seven towns in Pacquiao?s home province.
?Out of the seven towns, however, only six joined in the Sarangani inter-LGU sports tournament. The Malungon did not participate,? De Peralta bared.
Pacquiao claimed that he conceived the Mindanao-wide sports tournament to foster rapport and promote cooperation among local government units.
?My purpose is to promote unity and cooperation among local government units in Mindanao. This is the reason why I spearheaded this sports competition,? Pacquiao said.
To show appreciation to the delegates and to encourage more participation in similar event next year, Pacquiao provided a P50,000 cash assistance to every participating LGU.
The delegates will be given free t-shirts, door prizes and souvenir items by the organizer during the culmination and awards ceremony.
On the opening day, cheering contest and festival costume competition were also staged. Winners will be announced during the closing ceremony.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Aquiles Z. Zonio.
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