Pangasinan to host Palarong Pambansa
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 24 Mar 2012
Representatives of host province Pangasinan and the Department of Education yesterday vowed to make this year?s 64th anniversary celebration of the annual Palarong Pambansa the best ever. ?Pangasinan is the best place where Palaro should be,? Rafael Baraan, provincial administrator, declared yesterday quoting, Gov. Amado Espino during the SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.
Not to be outdone, Cesar Abalon and Francis Allen dela Cruz, members of the DepEd Palaro technical committee, said that it is the expectation of Education Secretary Armin Luistro to transform this year?s gathering of student athletes as the ?best ever.?
?Like when Pangasinan first hosted the Palaro in 1995 which turned out to be a resounding success, it is the provincial government?s desire under the leadership of Gov. Espino to improve the event,? Baraan told his audience during the forum, sponsored by Powerade, AKTV, FILA and UNTV.
?The governor is extending to SCOOP and its members his heartfelt thanks for inviting us here in this forum. And, at the same time, he wants to assure everyone, the athletes and all participants, including the media that this second coming of Palaro in the province should be a ?once in-a-lifetime? experience.
As in the past editions, the hosts expect some 10,000 athletes and coaches to come and compete against each other in 17 sports ? athletics, arnis, badminton, baseball basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics, sepak takraw, sipa, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.
Baraan, provincial information officer Orpheus ?Butch? Velasco and on-line information manager Vangie Padilla came all the way from Lingayen to attend the public service forum and invite everybody to join the Pangasinenses in celebrating the 64thj year of the mass-based, grassroots event featuring the country?s finest schools athletes in the elementary and high school levels.
?Secretary Luistro is also inviting all of you members of media to see for yourself the transformation of the Palaro into a real grassroots program in the DepEd?s assigned task of helping in the identification of talents among the schools? athletes that could be developed to become world champions,? Abalon, who besides Dela was also accompanied in the session by Boots Bautista.
?Let this year?s Palaro be a gauge of what this annual gathering of athletes should be in the future,? Abalon said, adding that almost all regional representations, except two or three, have all been completed and their athletes already in deep training.
?I think only the regions that have yet to complete their rosters are Region 1 itself and Region 11,? Abalon disclosed drawing concurrence from Baraan who said the host region?s elimination will end today. Friday?s guests announced that all athletes,coaches, delegation officials and other visitors can expect a clean and green Palaro come May 6-12.
The DepEd, according to Abalon and Dela Cruz, is seriously pursuing the campaign to make the Palaro an environment-friendly affair by requiring food caterers to dispense with plastic and styrofor in the preparation of meals.
?By clean, we mean we will ensure that athletes? screening and games officiating will be clean and fair to all in keeping with the true spirit of the sporting affair,? the duo chorused.
Retired Powerade (Coca- Cola) team manager in the PBA JB Baylon was also in attendance and promised to do whatever he can in helping future Palaro in its financial requirements.
Barraan and company also assured that refurbishing of all competition venues in Lingayen, the Games? main hub, and in the cities of Dagupan and San Carlos have all been completed.
A 15-minute video presentation showing how the province and the host cities are prepared.
?We really left no stone unturned so that our guests, be they athletes, coaches and officials or plain visitors, will go home happy and satisfied so that the experiences they will have in their stay will be talked about lengthily even years after the Palaro,? Baraan said.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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