LET THE Palarong Pambansa be a competition exclusive for public schools.
The is what sports officials in Cebu City are pushing on the heels of Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association’s (Cviraa) dismal ninth-place finish in the recent Palaro in Antique Province.
The proposal was discussed yesterday when Cebu City Councilor Joy Young, who is also the assistant Deputy Mayor for Education, met with a group of newspaper columnists at Port Restaurant in Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
Young believed that the Palaro should be made exclusively for public schools since there is already the Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa) meet which pits athletes from various private schools in the country.
The modification is actually one of the 16 proposed changes that Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del B. Pascua planned to implement in next year’s Palaro.
The proposals will be discussed by the Palarong Pambansa Board before a resolution will be filed for the implementation of the changes.
Edward Hayco, chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC), said the proposal may also level the playing field since some of the regions competing in the Palaro are reinforced by top athletes from private schools.
“I am open to that. But the tradeoff is, athletes from public schools will no longer experience the kind of competition that Palaro gives with athletes from private schools around,” said Hayco.
Hayco said it may even be better if the Palaro will be a division-based competition.
“It will improve our coordination. The Cebu City Division manages its athletes but the irony of it, when the Palaro comes, we lose control of our athletes since the region takes over,” said Hayco.
In the recent Palaro, Cviraa, which is mainly composed of athletes from Cebu City, suffered its worst finish in the annual competition as it only salvaged a ninth-place finish in the 18-region field after a meager harvest of 20 gold medals, 18 silvers and 29 bronzes.
Converting Palaro into an all-public school competition will serve better for the region especially for athletes from Cebu City.
“In Batang Pinoy, Cebu City is consistent in the 1-3 spots. But in Palaro, Cviraa is always in the 4-6 spots,” said Hayco.