Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama dances with the performers in the opening ceremony of the CVIRAA meet at the Festival Grounds in the SRP. | CDN Digital photo / Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The 20 schools divisions and visiting delegates of the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) received a warm Cebu welcome in its opening ceremony on Saturday, May 4, at the Festival Grounds of the South Road Properties (SRP).
Over 12, 000 delegates comprised of student-athletes, coaches, and Department of Education (DepEd) officials attended the opening ceremony that displayed Cebu City’s iconic Sinulog Festival and its rich heritage, history, and culture.
It featured performances from its winningest Sinulog contingent, the Tribu Lumad Basakanons, and the current Sinulog Based champion, Brgy. Guadalupe’s Banauan Cultural Group, and several other top-notch performers.
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“We thank Senor Sto. Nino again for the good weather. So, all the athletes of Central Visayas, I welcome them all,” Rama said in an interview.
” This is our first time hosting after 10 years in CVIRAA and 30 years after our second hosting in Palarong Pambansa. I was a vice mayor then in other meets. I’ve been into many CVIRAA meets before but now it’s our turn and we have to be as I’ve said to display our utmost hospitality to our visitors,” he added.
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Week-long CVIRAA meet
In addition, Rama reminded the competing athletes in this week-long meet that they’re already winners for making it to the CVIRAA.
“Athletes will always give their best. Winning or losing, we are already winners here. The most important thing is to grow and learn how to accept defeat and magnanimous in victory. The rest is we offer to the Lord”, Rama said.
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DepEd Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo also graced the opening ceremony. He expressed his utmost gratitude for Cebu City’s hosting of the regional meet which is a qualifiers for the Palarong Pambansa this July in Cebu City.
“I personally express my warmest greetings and gratitude to Mayor Michael Rama, Cebu City Council, Cebu City Sports Commission chairman John Pages and the Cebu community for hosting the CVIRAA,” Escobedo said in his speech.
“The warm hospitality of Cebu propelled DepEd’s regional sporting events, to this end it encourages to bring joy to everyone. It is important to take pride of the majestic beauty and charm of Cebu City displayed in hosting CVIRAA and Palarong Pambansa,” he added.
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Escobedo ended his speech stating that Central Visayas has the capability of dethroning the perennial Palarong Pambansa champions, the National Capital Region (NCR).
Oath of sportsmanship
Mike Gabrielle Dela Cerna, a Palarong Pambansa gold medalist led the oath of sportsmanship, while DepEd Regional sports director Tomas Pastor led the oath of coaches and technical officials.
Also highlighting the opening ceremony was the lighting of the urn to signify the formal opening of the meet.
No less than Palarong Pambansa gold medalist John Lexter Conde, the team captain of the Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) Greywolves football team lit the urn.
He was also joined by Rama and Cebu City Councilor Dondon Hontiveros in lighting the urn, while Dr. Sal Jimenez, the DepEd Region 7 director formally declared the start of the CVIRAA meet.
The competition already started on Saturday, the athletics event at the SHS-AdC oval in Mandaue City, while the rest of the sports events will have its full blast tomorrow, Sunday, May 5, in various venues around Cebu City.