Marcos commends Cebu City’s hosting of Palarong Pambansa 2024

By: Glendale G. Rosal - 6 months ago

President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr. and Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. | Photo by Josh Almonte

CEBU CITY, Philippines —President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos Jr. praised the Cebu City Government for its efficient hosting of the Palarong Pambansa despite the ‘short time’ available, as he served as the keynote speaker at the grand opening ceremony of the annual games on Tuesday, July 9, at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).

While Marcos acknowledged the swift preparations, it’s noteworthy that Cebu City, alongside DepEd Cebu City and the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC), has been gearing up to host the Palarong Pambansa since 2022.

Cebu City hosted its first sports event under the Palarong Pambansa banner in 2022, post-COVID-19 pandemic, featuring football and boxing bubble tournaments within strict health protocols.

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This marked the return of sports activities following the global lockdown and health restrictions.

Building on this momentum, Cebu City successfully hosted the Palarong Pambansa pre-qualifying tournament the following year, reinforcing its commitment to host the national games, last hosted here in 1994.

Mayor Michael Rama’s administration formally submitted the bid to host the Palarong Pambansa, and in July of the previous year, Cebu City was awarded the hosting rights in Marikina City.

Preparations continued under the stewardship of Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia last June, who took over from Rama following the latter’s six-month suspension.

Garcia assured that everything was in place and no stone was left unturned in terms of preparation when he took office as the acting mayor of Cebu City.

“To the local government officials and the people of Cebu, thank you for making this event possible. It was a great success. It is a significant achievement that you managed to put together this spectacular event in such a short time. I know there were many sleepless nights before we considered ourselves ready for this, but we thank you for that,” said Marcos in his speech.

“Because your warmth, hospitality, and enthusiasm are truly remarkable, I’m confident that these qualities will undoubtedly lead to the triumph of this year’s Palarong Pambansa,” he added.

Garcia, for his part, attributed the success of Palarong Pambansa to the unity of all stakeholders.

“He (Marcos) was very happy, apparently. Nakadungog man ta during his speech that in a very short span of time, I think he was referring kadtong pagsulod nako. So, it’s not my victory alone. That’s a victory of those who contributed to the success ani atong Palaro and that includes DepEd. A lot of the work was done by DepEd. Tanan mga employees sa City Hall, kadtong mga sleepless nights to prepare, and special mention to Councilor Dondon Hontiveros, Mayor Mike who won the bid ug dili nato kalimtan si Gov. Gwen Garcia who will host the closing ceremony,” Garcia said.

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