TAGUM CITY, December 15, 2014 - Davao del Norte bested four other
provinces to earn the hosting rights to the Palarong Pambansa next year.
The province nabbed 16 out of the 18 votes during the final bidding
and deliberation of the Department of Education Management Committee at
the Department of Education Main Office in Pasig City, Metro Manila
yesterday. The committee was made up of DepEd regional department heads,
representatives from their main office, and representatives from the
Philippine Sports Commission. The voting was done through secret
balloting.
The committee took into consideration the results of the visits of
the technical inspection team to the bidding provinces. The visits,
which occurred during the last few months, mainly assessed the billeting
sites and playing venues among other things. The results showed Davao
del Norte lead by a huge margin with a final score of 87.2 % followed by
Surigao del Norte with 81.9 %. The other three provinces were Zamboanga
del Norte, Lanao del Norte, and South Cotabato.
Also taken into consideration were the final presentations of the
provinces, which summarized their capabilities to host as well as their
responses to the improvements suggested by the technical inspection
teams.
DepEd secretary Armin Luistro stated that it was the readiness of Davao del Norte to host that set it apart from the rest.
“When we ranked them, and Davao del Norte at Tagum was ranked number
one. Talagang handang handa na yung kanilang facilities at konti na
lang, if any, ang kailangan i-fine tune o kaya ay ayusin”, he said.
Assistant Secretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs Tonisito Umali
also commended the nearness of the playing venues to the billeting
sites.
“Pag sinabi natin na kahandaan ng pasilidad, pinag-uusapan natin na
pareho po yung playing venues at yung billeting quarters” (if we are
talking about readiness of the facilities, we also talk of the playing
venues and billeting quarters) he said.
Davao del Norte boasts of an 11-hectare sports complex, the newest
among the facilities of the provinces who bid. It includes a 3,000
capacity main grand stand fronted by an eight-lane rubberized track oval
and a football field, an Olympic-sized swimming pool with an adjacent
warm up pool and a 500-capacity grandstand, a gymnasium, two tennis
courts, and a club house. Currently under construction are basketball
courts, a softball field, and a baseball field.
Luistro also praised the organized system of Davao del Norte in conducting the Palaro.
“They presented a very, very organized way of doing the Palaro,
especially because the facilities are so oriented na hindi masyadong
mahihirapan yung mga student athletes natin, technical officials, at
yung mga manonood”, he said.
Undersecretary for Regional Operations Rizalino Rivera expected Davao del Norte to stage the smoothest Palaro yet.
“I hope it’s going to be the smoothest Palarong Pambansa ever. From
transportation, from the time the delegations arrive, their stay,
security, everything”, he said.
Since the inauguration
of the complex on December 12, 2012, Davao del Norte had hosted several
sporting events, such as the 2014 Privates Schools Athletic Association
Games, the 2013 and 2014 Davao Region Athletic Association Games, the
2013 Batang Pinoy Mindanao Leg, the PFF Regional Qualifiers, and an
exhibition game between the Philippine Azkals and the Davao del Norte
Police Provincial Office in July 2013.
Davao del Norte governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario gave his assurance
that the staging of the annual sports fest in his province would be the
best experience ever.
“We assure them that we would give them the best Palaro, and that would be our battle cry. The best Palaro ever”, he said.
After the Palaro, Del Rosario plans on strengthening the sports
development program of the Davao Region by setting up the first Sports
Academy in the country, wherein athletes from all over the country would
receive high quality training to prepare them for local and
international competitions. (DAVNOR PIO)
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