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[av_heading heading=’ Cadiao: No turning back as Palarong Pambansa kicks off today | All roads lead to Antique’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay
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Sunday, April 23, 2017
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ILOILO City – “There’s no turning back,” a visibly excited Antique governor Rhodora Cadiao announced during a press briefing in San Jose de Buenavista on Friday.
“We are expecting some firsts in the opening of the Palarong Pambansa. This will be a great surprise to everybody. Expect one of the best openings of the Palarong Pambansa,” she added.
It’s been a long road mounting Antique’s first foray into hosting the country’s “premier national sporting event”, the setbacks aside Cadiao is ecstatic that the annual games are finally here.
“We are very happy that our small province has been chosen to host the Palarong Pambansa,” said the governor in a statement sent to Panay News. “This is a boost to our tourism, and an inspiration to our student athletes to do better. Also, we are very happy that a far-flung province such as Antique would host this year’s Palarong Pambansa, hoping that in our humble abode the likes of Elma Muros-Posadas or Lydia de Vega would be discovered soon.”
The long-jump queen Muros-Posadas will be in the province today to offer some inspiration to the country’s best young athletes and will be awarded the inaugural Palarong Pambansa Lifetime Achievement Award during the opening ceremony.
The 8-time SEA Games long-jump gold medalist Muros-Posadas is an alumna of the annual Palaro. Discovered in 1981, she became the youngest Filipino to join the prestigious SEA Games at 14-years old.
More or less 12,000 student-athletes and sports officials from the country’s 18 regions have descended on Antique for the April 23 to 29 festivities.
Over 30 different venues around San Jose and the neighboring towns are ready to play host to the 26 sports events in the 60th edition of Palarong Pambansa officially kicking off the competition.
Among them are the newly-revamped Evelio B. Javier Memorial Sports Complex, the Binirayan Gym outfitted with new facilities, and the EBJ Freedom Park.
“We are grateful for the trust that the Department of Education has bestowed on us,” added Cadiao. “The coordination of our various local government units has really been challenged, [but] we revel on the experience that this hosting has given us.”/PN
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