Provincial Meet loses to 2019-nCoV

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has maintained her opposition in the holding of out-of-town activities involving students, including the provincial athletic meet.

Garcia said her opposition, this time, anchors on the current threat posed by the 2019 novel coronavirus.

The Provincial Meet is supposed to be the gateway of the province’s student-athletes in participating in the Central Visayas Regional Athletics Association (CVIRAA).

In a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, Garcia said district supervisors under the Division of Cebu province has requested during their Local School Board (LSB) meeting on Feb. 4 that they may be allowed to hold the provincial meet.

But Garcia said speaking about athletic meets may not be appropriate at this time when the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus is threatening.

The governor explained that transporting the student-athletes to the sporting venues may put them at risk as they are subjected to large crowds.

“Transporting hundred and hundreds of school children, including teachers, to a particular place in order to compete [could] possibly weaken their own resistance while they are out there, outside of their own homes, in facilities that may not always be hygienic and secure.

“It is really time for all of us to realize that we are facing a crisis here. All other pabonggas might seriously be revisited, especially provincial meets,” said Garcia.

Even prior to the 2019-nC0V alert, Garcia has expressed her opposition to out-of-school activities after at least nine students and accompanying parents died in July 2019 after the truck that was carrying them to a district sports meet fell off a cliff in Boljoon town. /rcg