Ilocos Norte aims to match Cebu City for Palaro 2025

Ilocos Norte Capitol | Photo from InVest Ilocos Norte

CEBU CITY, Philippines — After nearly 60 years, Ilocos Norte is set to host the Palarong Pambansa once again in 2025.

The announcement was made official earlier by the Department of Education (DepEd), which awarded the hosting rights to the province.

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Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc shared the province’s initial preparations for its hosting of Palarong Pambansa 2025 in a press conference on July 15 at Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).

He expressed both excitement and determination as Ilocos Norte prepares to take on the challenge of meeting the high standards set by Cebu City in hosting this prestigious national sporting event.

Manotoc, with his media and sports team, came to Cebu City for the closing ceremony of Palarong Pambansa 2024.

“We are here [in Cebu City] originally to accept the turnover of the hosting rights of Palaro at the closing ceremony tomorrow. We took the opportunity to benchmark and learn from this hosting of Palaro,” Manotoc stated.

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Manotoc acknowledged Cebu City’s extensive experience and development in hosting events, stating that Ilocos Norte faces the challenge of matching and hopefully keeping up with the standard set by Cebu City.

“Cebu City is very experienced in hosting events and more developed than Ilocos Norte. We have the challenge to match and hopefully keep up with the standard set by Cebu City,” he said.

Ilocos Norte Palaro host in 1968

Ilocos Norte last hosted the Palarong Pambansa in 1968, and the return of the event to the province is a milestone.

Manotoc stressed that Ilocos Norte was dedicated to improving its infrastructure and facilities to guarantee a successful event.

He pointed out that Ilocos Norte had recently constructed the Marcos Stadium and was in the process of completing the rubber track and obtaining the necessary certification.

“We recently built the Marcos Stadium, and we are still finalizing the rubber track and certification. Ever since sports tourism has been our focus. There is a misconception that we are far away, but we tend to attract adventurous tourists, making sports tourism ideal for us,” Manotoc explained.

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Marcos Stadium in Ilocos Norte

The Ferdinand E. Marcos Stadium is a 12,000-capacity track and field stadium in Laoag City that serves as the primary social space for the people of Ilocos Norte.

The governor also discussed the importance of sports and tourism in Ilocos Norte. He mentioned the province’s recent hosting of sports events such as the Milo Triathlon, regional competitions, national surfing, and international kite surfing.

He expressed a desire to establish Ilocos Norte as the sports hub of Northern Luzon.

“Sports have always been important to us. We want to establish Ilocos Norte as the sports hub of Northern Luzon. We have the facilities and infrastructure, and everyone who comes to Ilocos will be impressed,” Manotoc said.

In addition to its sporting facilities, Ilocos Norte offers diverse attractions. Manotoc stated that visitors would not only see the sand dunes, windmills, and white sand beaches but would also experience much more.

Slice of Boracay, Baguio and Dubai

“We are far, but we are worth it. We are the only province that can offer you a slice of Boracay, Baguio, and Dubai all in one place,” he said.

Manotoc further expressed confidence that the upcoming Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte would be a unique and memorable event.

He noted that the province had been working on certification with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) and that everything is on track for hosting next year.

While acknowledging that the event would differ in size and infrastructure compared to Cebu, he assured that they would ensure the comfort of all participants and attendees.

The 2024 Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City ran from July 9 to 16, with the official games starting on July 11.