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Philippines, 20 Feb 2026 |
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2012 WVRAA opens today; Zubiri, Nietes guests of honor By Jerome S. Galunan Jr. PhilBoxing.com Mon, 12 Mar 2012  A total of 3,233 athletes, coaches and officials from the six provinces of Region 6 will parade today before thousands of spectators witnessing the opening of the 2012 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet at 3pm at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City. The six provinces, which will be led by their respective government and school?s officials, are Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras and host-Negros Occidental. Gov. Alfredo Mara?on alongside the provincial, city and municipal officials are expected to be present during the affair. This annual event scheduled from March 12-16, has long been the venue of discovering new breed of competitive athletes to don the national colors in future national and international competitions. Many athletes who were scouted from this region in many years had invaded the national pool as members of the Philippine team and have competed abroad and brought honor to our country. Among the names that used to be part of this annual meet are Olympian siblings Roel and Mansuelto Velasco, Leopoldo Cantancio, and WBO Lightflyweight champion Donnie Nietes in boxing; and Monsour del Rosario in taekwondo, to mention a few. While Nietes along with other amateur athletes who shifted their career paths to professional competitions, most of their comrades had remained in the amateur ? not as an athlete but as coaches and trainers. They became the guiding lights of these new sets of athletes who are keeping their faith that one of them will ultimately get the elusive Olympic gold medal for the Philippines. And in today?s opening rites, Nietes together with former senator Juan Miguel Zubiri are the guests of honor who will inspire our young athletes taking part in this competition. Zubiri, aside from being a public servant and an environmentalist, is also a martial artist who used to compete in various tournaments during his younger years. He replaced boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao as keynote speaker in the opening ceremony. During the press conference yesterday at the Bacolod Pavilion Hotel, DepEd-Region VI Regional Director Mildred Garay, CESO III, stressed that they wanted to make sure that the annual sports and cultural event will run smoothly. This is to assure that the region will be able to come up with promising athletes to compete in the highest national competition ? the Palarong Pambansa in Pangasinan. EXPECTATIONS Negros Occidental Provincial Schools Superintendent, Dr. Rizalino Tortosa, has vowed to retain the overall championship for this year?s edition of the regional Palaro. He said Iloilo province continues to be its rival in vying for the overall championship crown following the very close finish in the point system tally last year. Meanwhile, Dr. Ma. Janelyn Fundal of Iloilo, said they have been behind Negros in the over-all championship title for a very long time. ?We will try our very best to, maybe, win the title this time here in Negros,? Fundal said. ?We have been preparing well and hope we will deliver,? she added. Gilbert Solidum, Iloilo?s Asst. General Athletic Manager disclosed that they have maintained and strengthened their stronghold events while provided technical support to those teams which they felt they are weak. Other contingents, though admitted that they are a bit at distance compared to host-Negros and Iloilo, said they also try their best to win some of the events lined up. 2013 PALARONG PAMBANSA BID According to Dr. Garay, the 2012 WVRAA meet will be showcasing the province and Bacolod City?s sports facilities as it bids for the right to host the 2013 Palarong Pambansa. Garay said this year?s WVRAA is a prelude to the Palaro 2013 which is considered as the next ?big thing? and they are expecting a perfect hosting of the province of Negros Occidental. She said the realization of hosting the national athletic meet is very doable because of the huge support given by Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Mara?on Jr. Garay also revealed that rules in awarding the right to host the national athletic event had change and the major requirement is the host?s capability in handling sporting events that is at par with national and international standards. The Dep Ed regional director pointed out that Negros Occidental and the city of Bacolod have enough sporting facilities that already hosted national and international sporting events such as the South East Asean Games (SEA Games). Garay added that the old practice in awarding the right to host the annual national sporting competition is no longer applied and the Philippine Sports Commission is now directly involved in assessing the sports facilities of the provinces and cities. Meanwhile, Angel Verdeflor, executive assistant to Governor Mara?on stressed that the hosting of WVRAA would be a historic moment for Negros Occidental. He said it is the aspirations of Governor Mara?on to promote sports in the province and to give equal chances to the youth in showcasing their talents and skills in different sports discipline. According to Verdeflor he already coordinated with PSC chairman Ritchie Garcia to help in the province?s bid to host the 2013 National Palaro. ISSUE OF RECRUITMENT Despite the massive pirating of athletes from Region 6 by several other regions particularly the National Capital Region, Verdeflor stressed that among the main reasons why our players accept offers from these regions because of the perks that are being provided to them. ?What we will do here is to provide programs equivalent to those in Manila as well as look for sponsors to help us realize our goals. We can?t hold them here if we don?t have anything to offer,? he explained. ?As much as we wanted to keep our athletes here, especially the promising ones, we can?t control them if their parents decided to take their children to other schools,? Dr. Garay said. Meanwhile, a total of 19 different kinds of events, including cultural, are scheduled in this competition ? 16 in the elementary and 18 in the secondary level. In the elementary, among the disciplines to be competed are: arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, sipa, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball and folk dance. In the secondary level, the events to be competed are: are archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, special games and folk dance. On the other hand, a thousand students from Negros Occidental High School will have a playground presentation during the opening rites, which will to be followed by the staging of the different "festivals" of Negros Occidental like the Masskara Festival of Bacolod City, Minulu-an Festival of Talisay City, Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos City, Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota City and Udyakan Festival of Kabankalan City. Photo: WVRAA delegation representatives during the press cnference held Sunday at the Bacolod Pavilion Hotel. Photo by MYMY ALAGABAN. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Jerome S. Galunan Jr..  |
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