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PUERTO PRINCESA: Support from different sectors
started flowing in for the host city of the 2008 Palarong Pambansa,
which gets underway on April 20 to 27 at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr.
Sports Complex in Barangay Sta. Monica here.
The biggest backer, of course, is
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who chipped in P49-million
augmentation fund for the staging of the multi-event meet for
elementary and high school student-athletes.
“I am very thankful to the
president for her support. We really need her backing and she never
failed us. So, we will not fail her also,” said Hagedorn during
the elaborate opening ceremonies for the 2008 MIMAROPA Regional
Meet last Sunday.
Governor Joel Reyes of Palawan
also donated P3 million to Hagedorn during the regional meet opening
rites.
Also supporting the 17-region
competition were the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation
and the Department of Education, which shelled out P5 million and P2
million, respectively.
The host city spent around P60
million for the construction of new facilities and refurbishing the
existing ones, including the 16-hectare RVMJ complex, the main venue
and also the site for six other sports disciplines.
Some 17,000 guests, officials and
athletes are expected to converge for the annual event won by
perennial champion National Capital Region last year in Koronadal
City, South Cotabato.
The country’s young and promising
athletes will vie for supremacy in 14 disciplines in the elementary
level namely athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, chess,
football, gymnastics, sepak-takraw, softball, swimming, lawn tennis,
table tennis, taekwondo and volleyball.
There are 17 disciplines in the
high school competition—archery, arnis, athletics, badminton,
baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics,
softball, sepak-takraw, swimming, table tennis, tae kwon do, lawn
tennis and volleyball.
--Frank Calapre
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