Sports legends grace Palarong Pambansa opening

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur, Philippines — Sports legends led by Lydia de Vega-Mercado, Eugene Torre, Efren “Bata” Reyes and Paeng Nepomuceno will be among the special guests when the 61st Palarong Pambansa comes off the wraps today at the President Elpidio Quirino Stadium here.

De Vega-Mercado, a former Asian sprint queen, will be presented a Palarong Pambansa lifetime achievement award in the opening rites to start at 12:30 p.m.

Torre, Reyes, Nepomuceno, Elma Muros-Posadas, Hidilyn Diaz, Eric Buhain and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco are other Philippine sports greats gracing the event where President Rodrigo Duterte is the guest of honor and speaker.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao was also invited but is reportedly arriving a little late.

For the second time, the Chief Executive joins the cream of the student athletes in the opening rites of the annual sports extravaganza. Duterte also graced the Palaro in San Jose, Antique last year.

Host Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Singson and Vice Gov. Jeremias Singson, Bantay Mayor Samuel Parilla II and Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones will also be present in the inaugurals that will be highlighted by the parade of colors of the 17 participating regions including perennial powerhouse National Capital Region.

Ilocos Sur has also prepared a sky-diving and hot air balloon show, a field demo and street dancing showdown.

The national anthem will be sung by Bituin Escalante while the PGIS Chorale, Teachers’ Chorale and High School Students Chorale perform the region’s hymn.

Meanwhile, the province has enforced a total gun ban to ensure peace and order and the safety of the 20,000-strong Palaro delegation.

A total of 1,311 medals including 397 golds will be staked in the regular events – track and field, swimming, archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, billiards, boxing, chess, football, futsal, gymnastics, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, wrestling and wushu.

Aero gymnastics, dancesports and pencak silat are calendared as demonstration events.

The differently-abled athletes, on the other hand, will also show their wares on their side of the competition.

Athletics will stake the most medals with 198 followed by swimming with 180, arnis with 158 and taekwondo with 152.

NOTES: The Department of Education has chosen Davao City as the next Palaro host. Davao City bested Zamboanga City in Zamboaga del Sur and Misamis Occidental in the final deliberation. Other local government units that joined the bidding process were Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur, General Santos in South Cotabato and Surigao City in Surigao del Norte. It will mark the second time Davao City is hosting the meet since 1950.