CEBU IS READY FOR PNG

PHL’s biggest sports stars, talented up-and-comers gather for biggest sporting conclave, the Phil. National Games, which opens tomorrow at the CCSC

The country’s brightest stars and up-and-coming athletes will collide in Cebu for supremacy in their respective sports in the 2018 Philippine National Games (PNG), which fires off on May19 at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).

Over 3,000 athletes coming from 96 local government units (LGU) from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will vie for the 2,578 medals – 770 gold medals, 770 silver medals and 1,038 bronze medals—from 19 sports.

The national sporting meet organized by Philippines Sports Commission (PSC) is one of the qualifiers for athletes who are aspiring to make it to national team. But PSC has a bigger plan starting this year.

“This is one program that we really want to revive. We envision this to become the Philippine Olympics. We are hoping that time will come when this will become the tryouts for the national team,” said PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez during the event’s press conference yesterday.

Fernandez said that the athletes’ performances in the PNG will put them one step closer to reaching their dream to make it to the bigger stage.

“The national sports associations (NSA) will still choose, who will they put in the national team But at least we can pressure them and say that we have better athlete here based on the PNG performance,” he added.

PSC’s regional director for Visayas Noonie Lopez said that from the 96 LGU’s, there are 28 LGU’s from Luzon, 27 from Mindanao, 26 from Visayas and 15 from the National Capital Region (NCR).

Also spicing up the competition is the presence of about 200 national team athletes. “We have invited national athletes and they are expected to arrive within this week,” said Lopez.

The organizers will award an overall champion, which is the LGU with the most gold medals. Overall Top 5 will be awarded. The champion will get P5 million sporting assistance, P4 million, P3 million, P2 million and P1 million for overall second to fifth placers. /

We let the visitors feel the hospitality of the Cebuanos.

EDWARD HAYCO Chairman, Cebu City Sports Commission

In behalf of Cebu Province, we are honored to be part of this event. Governor Hilario Davide III is supportive of this sporting meet.

RAMIL ABING Executive Director, Cebu Provincial Sports Commision