BAGUIO CITY September 23 – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan announced the country’s undisputed Summer Capital will again host the conduct of the 2017 Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) after the different provinces in the region failed to submit their timely bids to host the premier regional athletic meet.
The local chief executive said the City School Board approved the allocation of more than P2.6 million from the overall P81 million budget of the board next year for the city’s hosting of the regional sports meet for the third consecutive year.
“We already gave instructions to concerned stakeholders to start preparing for our hosting of the CARAA so that whatever our shortcomings during the previous hostings of the regional sports meet will be corrected and improved considering that we are in a highly urbanized city,” Domogan stressed.
He pointed out that Baguio Athletic Bowl, which underwent full rehabilitation over the past two years, should be completed by the time the regional sports competition will be held by February next year plus the fact that other indoor and combative games will be done in other sports venues around the city.
The city started hosting the CARAA in 2015 before it was again chosen to host the regional athletic meet this year and then by next year being one of the areas with ready venues for the various sports disciplines lined up for the week-long tournament.
According to him, the funds that will be allocated by the local government will be used to augment the budget that will be earmarked by the Department of Education which is the lead agency in the conduct of the athletic meet.
The CARAA serves as the avenue where athletes from the different parts of the region will be chosen to represent the CAR in the Palarong Pambansa to be held in the Visayas next year and probably to be hosted by Baguio City in 2018 once it will be lucky to win the bidding for the hosting of one of the prestigious national sports competitions.
Domogan expressed confidence that the multipurpose sports building to be constructed within the Baguio Athletic Bowl which will be funded from the P60 million earmarked by the local government for such purpose will be completed by the end of next year to be used for the possible hosting of the Palarong Pambansa by the city in the next two years.
Domogan explained that the possible hosting of the Palarong Pambansa by Baguio will be done in partnership with Benguet to allow the maximum use of the available sports facilities to accommodate the conduct of all sports events.
He claimed Baguio will submit its bid for the hosting of the Palarong Pambansa once the Department of Education and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will open the bidding therefor.
Part of the projects being implemented within the Baguio Athletic Bowl are funded by the national government through the Department of Public |works and Highways – Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO).**By Dexter A. See
