With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Cebu City’s sports leaders say the city is now ready to host big local and national tournaments including the Palarong Pambansa football event. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is now ready to host local and national sports events, Cebu’s sports stakeholders said during City Hall’s interactive discussion dubbed “Panaghisgot,” on Wednesday, April 6, 2022.
The forum was attended by Cebu City Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros, former Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) and now board member chairman Edward Hayco, Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) manager Jesse Taborada, Central Visayas Football Association (CVFA) board member Jose Guy Ceniza and multi-titled football coach Glen Ramos.
During the forum, the guests revealed numerous sports events lined up in Cebu City for the rest of the year after announcing on February 25, 2022, that the city has allowed the staging of all forms of sports at all levels with a set of guidelines.
One of them is the Palarong Pambansa football tournament at the CCSC slated on April 25-27, 2022 featuring numerous school-based teams around the country.
The teams will vie in a bubble set up as a ‘dry-run’ of the Department of Education (DepEd) before going full-blast on the Palarong Pambansa next year.
In addition, CVFA will host June’s Philippine Football Federation (PFF) U-19 Champions Regional Elimination at the same venue.
“We hope that it will push through on April 25-27. Bubble ni siya, it was planned man gyud during the onset of the pandemic, bisan pa karon with the easing of restrictions, we decided to push through, any eventualities naay surge, dili na maapektuhan, ug mahadlok mabalik ta ato, makapadayon ra gihapon,” said Ceniza.
On the other hand, Hontiveros revealed numerous sporting events coming to Cebu this year.
First, he said Cebu City is planning to hold an inter-barangay basketball and volleyball tournament, tentatively set after the elections.
“Ubos atong budget sa sports, part of that was given to the city’s recovery program sa pandemig ug sa Typhoon Odette. We are working with the resources that we have. Naa ta inter-barangay, basketball, volleyball, we set guidelines, dili pa namo ma cater ang mga mas bata-bata nga players,” said Hontiveros.
Second, he mentioned a major tennis tournament featuring players and teams from Cebu City and Bacolod with further details to be announced soon.
“Cebu has four teams, two teams from Bacolod, hopefully after the end of April, sud pa man sa atong budget, ug wala nay election ban, we can give prizes na. Also, ang Spartan Race in Bohol that was held recently, is planned to bring here in Cebu,” added Hontiveros.
Meanwhile, Hayco said during the forum that CCSC has been busy during the onset of the pandemic with its virtual training program and tournaments.
He revealed that they made sure at CCSC to keep their grassroots sports program running as a means to help the mental health of Cebu City’s youth.
“Actually, even during the pandemic, wala jud nato gihunong atong programa, we made sure all the kids stayed online, we had online training, online competition. Bisag dili siya as effective as face-to-face, at least ang mga bata ug mga ginikanan, kept them sane during the pandemic,” said Hayco.
Hayco recently organized the highly-successful 14th Danceport sa Sugbo, a face-to-face national dancesport competition held in Cebu City that drew more than 400 participants.
Aside from revealing the initial line-up of sports events happening in Cebu City in the coming weeks and months, the CCSC under its new chairman John Pages is currently busy re-aligning its program and accepting the registration of upcoming sports events. /rcg
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