BAGUIO CITY August 09 – More than seven thousand individuals are expected to join the upcoming staging of the Batang Pinoy National Finals in Baguio and Benguet this coming September 15-21, 2018.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) point person for Batang Pinoy Gloria Quintos said the initial estimate could increase in the coming days considering that the deadline for submission of entries in the different sports disciplines that will be played in Baguio and Benguet will be on August 13, 2018.
She explained that the initial estimate for the Batang Pinoy participants was based on the figures during the staging of the long running sports games for the athletes aged 15 years and below in the previous years.
PSC technical personnel were in the city to meet with their counterparts to discuss the preparations that should be undertaken by the concerned government agencies and the local government in the hosting of the youth games which will be hosted for the first time by both Baguio and Benguet.
Based on the breakdown presented by Quintos during the meeting of concerned stakeholders that was presided over by Mayor Mauricio g. Domogan, 1,600 athletes, coaches and sports officials will be coming from Luzon, 1,500 will be coming from Mindanao, 1,400 will be from Visayas, 900 will be athletes who will go direct to the finals, which will all be billeted in Baguio, and another 1,500 will be billeted in Benguet.
Domogan tasked the officials and personnel of the education department’s City Schools Division to prepare for the grand opening program of the Batang Pinoy National Finals so that participants from the different parts of the country will remember Baguio City and Benguet as gracious hosts for such sports competition considering the fact that it is the first time for both local governments to host a big sports event.
PSC Chairman William Butch Ramirez will be in town on August 30, 2018 for the formal signing of the memorandum of agreement between the sports body and the local government headed by Mayor Domogan to seal the city’s hosting of the third largest sports competition being staged in the different parts of the country annually.
The Batang Pinoy games is being conducted annually in the different parts of the country to discover potential athletes from the grassroots who will be trained to represent the country in future national, regional and international sports competitions and sustain the haul of coveted medals to give pride and honor to the country.
President Rodrigo R. Dutete is being eyed as the guest of honor and speaker during the opening program which will be held at the Baguio Athletic Bowl in the afternoon of September 15, 2018.
Some 27 events will be played in the different playing venues in Baguio City and nearby La Trinidad, Benguet. The playing venues were already evaluated and assessed by the PSC technical personnel who were in the city the past several weeks.** By Dexter A. See
