Vice President Sara Duterte and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama sign the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Friday, February 2, for the city’s hosting of the Palarong Pambansa. | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Vice President Sara Duterte have sealed the deal for the city’s hosting of the 2024 64th Palarong Pambansa following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Friday, February 2, 2024.
The MOA signing was done at the Cebu City Hall, which solidified the city’s commitment to hosting the annual, multi-sport event that brings together approximately 12,000 student-athletes from across the Philippines.
READ: Cebu City is host of Palarong Pambansa 2024
Despite the official signing for the event, the official date for the 2024 Palarong Pambansa has not been announced yet.
“We are very thankful. From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the entire Cebu… since 1994, the last Palarong Pambansa in the City of Cebu. And now, 2024… it shall be done”, Rama said during his opening statement.
Moreover, Duterte shared that Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia supported Cebu City’s bid to host the 2024 Palarong Pambansa.
She disclosed that Garcia called her to express her support of the city’s bid to host the Games during the evaluation process.
“While the process of the evaluation in relation to the bidding is ongoing, nanawag si Gov, ‘Cebu City nagbid sa Palarong Pambansa ha. Supportado na sa Probinsya sa Cebu ha’,” she revealed.
Duterte also shared that she was “very thankful and happy” that the result turned out the way it is, emphasizing that she did not influence the result in any way.
“… I never told the secretaria kung kinsa ang pilion… I never joined any meeting and when nangutana ko kinsay daog, it was Cebu,” she said.
REHAB OF FACILITIES ONGOING
Meanwhile, John Pages, the chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission, when asked about Cebu’s preparedness to host the event, said that the rehabilitation of facilities, especially the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) is ongoing. He said he visited the facility on February 1.
He also added that the CCSC will be operational in April, just in time for the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVRAA) meet, which Cebu City will also be hosting.
READ: Bringing back Palarong Pambansa to Cebu City a team effort — CCSC chief
The committee also acknowledged how Marikina “sets the standard high” during their hosting of the 2023 Palarong Pambansa and expressed confidence of surpassing those benchmarks, claiming “Cebu will set the bar higher” this time.
The city has allotted a budget of P200 million for its hosting of the 2024 Palarong Pambansa, Cebu City Councilor Donaldo “Dondon” Hontiveros disclosed. This, according to Hontiveros, despite the cut in Mayor’s Rama’s proposed annual budget from P100 billion to P25 billion.
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