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[av_heading heading=’EDITORIAL | Palaro in Antique’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Sunday, April 23, 2017
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TODAY the 2017 Palarong Pambansa officially opens but competitions on various sports disciplines start tomorrow, April 23, and will go on until the 29th. The nation’s eyes will be on Antique as the small province hosts the country’s biggest school-based sporting event that aims to discover future sports heroes.
It is our hope there will be less incidents of players collapsing because of the intense summer heat, of participants downed by food poisoning, of athletes suffering injuries and fatal conditions. We take this opportunity to reiterate the importance of first aid training in our education system, especially through the Physical Education (PE) classes. First aid training can save lives and prevent long-term injury.
While we are certain all the delegates go to Antique to compete with all their heart, their physical conditioning, training drills, nutrition, and overall health will matter much under the intense pressure of Palaro competition. We urge school sports officials and PE teachers, too, to themselves be exemplars of good health and healthy lifestyles. All too often, we see many PE teachers and coaches who may have forgotten to practice what they preach. Perhaps the DepEd school sports officials could find ways and means to address the health not just of student-athletes, but of their PE teachers and coaches as well. This will go a long way in our quest to produce world-class athletes.
We hope this 2017 Palaro will also be a chance for schools and the Department of Education to push the Sports Track of senior high school. Also pending in Congress are several sports bills. Among the more significant among them are: HB 583 for a Magna Carta of Student-Athletes; HB 287 on the creation of a Department of Sports; and HB 535 on establishing a National Amateur Sports Training Center.
The Palaro is an opportunity, too, for our sports-inclined but poor students. Talent scouts will also descend upon Antique to eye the youngsters they will offer varsity scholarships to for senior high school and college. For many of the athletes going to Antique, the varsity scholarships offered at and after the Palaro can be their tickets out of poverty.
So yes, there is more to the Palarong Pambansa than just a sports competition. And as the games begin, we wish everybody good luck.
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