Albay to host Palarong Pambansa 2016
Jessica Imperial
Albay, the home of the famous Mt. Mayon, will be the venue of the 2016 Palarong Pambansa, the 59th edition of the annual multi-sporting event for student-athletes in the Philippines. Various sporting discipline and events will be competed by athletic associations from the 18 regions in the province from April 10 to 18, 2016.
The hosting right of the important event was formally awarded by the Department of Education and the Philippine Sports Commission to Albay in October 2015, beating Cagayan province in the bidding. Highlights in the bid include plans to construct a new sports facility in Bicol University, which will be called the Albay Sports-Tourism Complex, and the promotion of the games as a sports tourism event, a fresh idea in the sporting tournament’s history.
Governor Joey Salceda explained that the reasons behind the winning are the province’s accessibility to participants and strong indoor capability from commercial malls and private schools. He also disclosed that four hundred fifty million pesos will be allotted for the construction of the venues prior to its opening.
The Governor eyes the 2016 Palaro as the chance for Albay to showcase its world-class tourism industry.
Salceda said that the province puts much value and importance on it as a sporting tourism event and the venues will be spread all over for the delegates to enjoy its tourism areas while competing. He added that President Benigno Aquino III instructed Presidential Management Staff Secretary Julia Abad to assist the province in conducting the 2016 Palaro as a sports tourism event.
Furthermore, Salceda assured that Albay is well on track to host Palaro. With almost two months to go, venues, billeting centres, and other facilities are about 90 percent ready at this point.
The province leads the delegation of Bicol region to the national games, bagging the championship in the Bicol Palaro earlier in 2016.
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