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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Romualdo complex hosts meet

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MAMBAJAO, Camiguin – It took more than 20 years for this province’s Pedro P. Romualdo Sports Complex and facilities to be completed and now, for the first time, it is hosting the Northern Mindanao Athletic Association regional meet on Dec. 12 to 16.

The region’s 5,913 most promising athletes and 1,340 official delegates flocked to this tourism destination island province to compete in more than 20 sporting events.

The delegates came from 14 Department of Education Divisions from Region 10’s 9 cities and 5 provinces.

One of the objectives of the Palarong Pampook is to widen the base for talent identification, selection, recruitment, training and exposure of student athletes from the elementary and high schools to serve as breeding ground for the future national team members for international competitions.

Amateur athletes from Camiguin province jump for joy during their performance at the opening ceremony of the five-day Palarong Pangpook in Camiguin island on Dec. 12 at the Pedro P. Romualdo Sports Complex in Mambajao town.
Lance Baconguis

Cagayan de Oro is the defending champion of the NMRAA, winning 93 gold medals in last year’s meet.

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This year, it wants to win 100 gold medalsm with the introduction of two new regular sports event – Wushu and Wrestling.

Rosalio Vitorillo, athletic Manager of Cagayan de Oro DepEd Division, said that they are also pinning their hopes for boxing with its roster of gold medallists in the last Palarong Pambansa in Albay this year.

“Our goal is 100 gold medals. We have been working hard, doing all the training and implementing the Special Program for Sports where our athletes have flexible time for education so they can focus more on training,” Vitorillo said.

One of the star players of Cagayan de Oro is John Vincent Pangga, a promising young boxer, now in Grade 9. Pangga is the gold medallist of the 2016 Palarong Pambansa.

Vitorillo said that they are also pinning their hopes on Gymnastics, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu and Wrestling.

Mambajao Mayor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said that they are very happy with the completion of the Sports Complex as this means that they are now capable of handling athletic events.

“Sports is an integral part of development and discipline. We are now capable of producing athletes that could compete in high-level competitions because we now have our own sports complex, where we can train them all year round,” Romualdo said.

Camiguin Governor Maria Luisa Romualdo said that they have taken the challenge to host the regional athletic meet to achieve something monumental for the province- to complete its facilities and host the games, “Because that’s the spirit of Camiguin and its people – to meet challenges head-on and accomplish it,” Governor Romualdo said.

Dr. Allan Parnazo, Department of Education region 10 director said that such grassroots sporting events have produced the likes of Ian Lariba, the Table Tennis Olympiad who represented the country in the Brazil 2016 Olympics.

Lariba is a native of Cagayan de Oro and played her way from the city meet all the way to the Palarong Pambansa in 2005 to 2007.

Lariba herself bore the torch here to the thundering applause of the amateur athletes here who cheered; getting a glimpse of what could be their future.

One athlete from Lanao del Norte run alongside Lariba after lighting the urn.

Governor Romualdo said that this would not be the first time the island province to host such sporting event as they would pursue to expand their sports program.

“This would not be the first athletic meet here, there will be other sporting events and we will do our best that we would be at par with other province’s result in hosting the palarong pangpook, and also bring with you your experience here in our beautiful province, “ Governor Romualdo said.

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