National Games gets under way in Dumaguete today

DUMAGUETE CITY—The POC-PSC National Games go full blast in this once disaster-stricken city starting here today with billiards kicking off competition among  24 sports featuring national athletes and aspiring PH team members.

City Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo will preside over a simple opening ceremony at 5 p.m. at the Freedom Park with Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. and Philippine Sports Commission  chair Richie Garcia expected as guests of honor.

As the major hub of competition of the annual meet for the country’s top athletes, Dumaguete hopes to showcase its recovery from a destructive typhoon and a killer earthquake that battered this part of the Visayan region several months ago.

The centerpiece events of athletics and swimming are also scheduled here while the rest of the 38 sports in the calendar have either started or set to get going in venues in Metro Manila and in Laguna.

Sagarbarria and Degamo will deliver the welcome remarks during the opening ceremony while the national team in archery, whose core comes from the host city, will lead the oath of sportsmanship.

Mano Saldivar will sing the national anthem while Tight Beat and Dumaguete Tribe will provide entertainment numbers.

Fencing competitions are already underway at the Philsports in Pasig, as well as baseball action at the Rizal Memorial Ballpark in Manila. Gymnastics had conducted its first events  the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Gymnastics Hall.

In Laguna, rugby preliminary matches  have started while canoe-kayak, dragonboat and taekwondo will begin in the next few days of the games sponsored by Smart, Summit mineral water, TV5, AKTV, 2Go, Pocari Sweat, Cebu Pacific, Puregold, Scratch It Instant Tama, Accel and SM.

Garcia said the performance of the national athletes in the PNG, which is sponsored by Smart Communications and Summit Drinking Water, will determine whether they deserve to remain in the Philippine pool.

Meanwhile, John Emerson Inguito of Team Suzuki Pilipinas claimed the gold medal in the motorcycle sports centerpiece event of Moto 4T Sintetico 115 Superstock Class at SM Sucat in Parañaque over the weekend.

He won over Fritzie Claveria and John Cloyd Pilapil, respectively.