Capiz keen on hosting 2009 'Palarong Pambansa'
ROXAS CITY – The Province of Capiz is keen on "playing big brother" to the 2009 Palarong Pambansa, the hosting of which goes to the Visayas Area after the turn of Luzon this year wherein the school-based sports event was hosted by Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.
Gov. Victor A. Tanco, Sr. went to Puerto Princesa City during the Palaro to personally convey to Secretary Jesli Lapus of the Department of Education the intention of the province to host the event next year.
Governor Tanco went there to also meet Puerto Princesa City Mayor Richard Hagedorn together with Emmanuel Billones of the Office of Senator Manuel A. Roxas II and Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Member Alfonso Bediones, Jr.
Tanco said Secretary Lapus warmly acknowledged the intention of Capiz and made it known to DepEd Regional Directors who attended the national meet to support their respective regional athletic delegations.
With this development, the chief provincial executive said he will formally present the hosting intention at a national conference of the DepEd Regional Directors and other officials sometime this year.
"We will convince them (DepEd officials) that Capiz is capable of hosting the national event given our existing sports facilities at the Villareal Stadium and billeting centers for meet officials and delegations," Tanco said.
The province already has a spacious stadium for the event with a rubberized track oval for running events, covered gym and two outdoor courts for basketball games, Olympic-size swimming pool, outdoor volleyball courts and rooms for other track and field and athletic competitions in a national palaro on an 8-hectare area.
Several out-of-town games of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the country's premier professional caging league, have been played in the fully-airconditi0oned covered gym that also boasts of top-of-the-line facilities that are at par with other leading sports centers in the country.
After the Visayas area, it will be the turn of Mindanao to host the said event in 2010. (PIA-JSC)