INQUIRER Sports

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte -- The national government will be spending around P100 million to stage next year's Palarong Pambansa, the country's largest sporting event, in Leyte.

The amount will not include the cost of renovating the sites of the games, as this will be shouldered by the host provincial government, according to Education Undersecretary Ramon Bacani.

Bacani, who is a member of the executive coordinating committee of the 2009 Palarong Pambansa, said the P100 million will exclusively cover the cost of travel, uniforms, and food of participating delegates from the country's 17 regions.

About 10,000 athletes, coaches, and other delegates are expected to take part in the games, Bacani said.

Bacani was in the city Friday to attend the first national and regional sports coordination meeting between education and provincial government officials held at the Governor's Hall of the provincial capitol building.

The Palarong Pambansa, held for the first time in Eastern Visayas since 1983, will be staged at the Leyte Sports Development Complex from April 26 to May 2, 2009.

Students from the elementary and secondary schools all over the country will compete for honors.

Elementary students will compete in 16 sports while high school students will vie for medals in 17 games.

The provincial government has estimated it would be spending about P50 million to renovate the facilities at the sports complex and to spruce up the public schools that will be used as billeting spaces for participating delegations, said Leyte Governor Jericho Petilla.

The hosting of the Palarong Pambansa was earlier embroiled in a controversy after Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez informed Education Secretary Jesli Lapus in a letter that the city government would not co-host the sports event.

Despite the lack of cooperation from Tacloban City, Petilla decided to push through with his bid to host the Palaro.