TAGBILARAN CITY- It’s all systems go for this year’s Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (Cviraa) Meet that will formally open today at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex.
Department of Education (DepEd) Region VII Education Support Services Division (ESSD) chief Dr. Luz Jandayan said that everything’s set up for the week-long meet that will feature 19 divisions composed of around 8,000 delegates.
They will compete in 26 sporting events that will be held in various venues in the city.
“All is set and ready. We are hoping that it won’t rain since there is a low pressure area that will enter Mindanao anytime this week. And, we also pray for the safety of the athletes and the success of this event,” said Jandayan.
The Low Pressure Area (LPA) was spotted around 1,500-kilometers east of Mindanao, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration last Friday.
Although, there’s a possibility that it will not develop into a tropical depression in the next few days, Jandayan and DepEd-7 are currently coordinating with the Tagbilaran Disaster Risk Reduction in monitoring the weather.
In 2012, the Cviraa meet held in Dumaguete City was stalled for two days due to Typhoon Pablo that hit Negros Oriental. But the multi-sporting event pushed through without a single athlete harmed.
“The athletes and the delegations are well billeted in different public schools around the City which are all safe and secured,” added Jandayan.
In the opening ceremonies this 2 p.m. which will be kicked off with the parade of delegations, Jandayan said that last year’s host, the City of Naga headed by Mayor Vanessa Chiong, will officially turn-over the hosting rights to Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnell “Baba” Yap. DepEd Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs G.H. Ambat will also be present.
According to Jandayan, DepEd-7 allocated P800,000 for the Cviraa.
TOUGH COMPETITION
Perennial overall champions, Cebu City Niños, and last year’s first runner-up, Cebu Province, are both poised to surpass their respective performances last year.
The Niños has ruled Cviraa for the past 25 years and forms the core of the Central Visayas delegation to the Palarong Pambansa.
According to DepEd Cebu City division sports coordinator Francis Ramirez, they told their athletes to focus on their respective competitions rather than thinking of winning their 26th title.
However, he is confident that their athletes can deliver another dominating performance. Last year, the Niños had a total medal count of 144 gold, 64 silver and 77 bronze.
The Niños this year is sending a total of 598 athletes.
“We are facing a very tough competition this year with Cebu Province continuing to improve each year while Negros Oriental, particularly Dumaguete City, returns into action while the host city of Tagbilaran and co-host Bohol Province are both expected to come out stronger in their home court,” added Ramirez.
Cebu Province, meanwhile, sent a massive delegation of 850, 538 of which are athletes.
Like Ramirez, Cebu Provincial Sports Commission executive director Atty. Ramil Abing is also confident of their delegation’s performance.
“I am confident that we can surpass our performance last year knowing that we had a very strong athletic and grassroots program that were implemented last year in the entire Cebu Province,” Abing told Cebu Daily News. “We are aiming of course for the title but let’s see, we have the entire week to determine everything.”
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