Occidental Mindoro next host of Palaro

MANILA, Philippines — Local officials of Occidental Mindoro, led by Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato, vowed to put their “best foot forward” when they host the 2020 Palarong Pambansa.

“Let us work hand in hand to ensure our successful hosting of the 2020 Palarong Pambansa. This is a historic first for us. Let us put our best foot forward,” Ramirez-Sato said.

Ramirez-Sato  issued the call after the closing ceremonies of the 2019 Palarong Pambansa at the UP Sports Complex in Davao City last Saturday. 

“Hosting such national event is an honor for Occidental Mindoro. This way, we can showcase our province’s potentials, commerce and industry, our beautiful places and tourist spots, our products and our people,” she said.

Gov. Gene Mendiola and Vice Gov. Peter Alfaro also accepted the challenge of the province’s hosting of the next Palarong Pambansa.

The Palaro serves as the grassroots program to discover and develop future sports heroes.

Department of Education Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo, who also sits as secretary-general of Palarong Pambansa, announced that Occidental Mindoro won the right to host the 2020 Palaro.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Leonor Magtoles-Briones hailed the latest staging of the Palaro in Davao City.

“It was a great success. Because in terms of attendance, we had at least 30,000. It was well-attended,” Briones said.

Briones said Davao City, headed by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, did a very good job hosting this year’s Palaro.

“In terms of facilities, there was a new Olympic-size swimming pool. It was a spectacular venue,” she said.

After a week of intense competition, athletes from the National Capital Region reigned as overall champions followed by Region IV-A (Calabarzon) and Region VI (Western Visayas).

The NCR bets shone on various fronts and brought home 67 gold, 44 silver and 34 bronze medals.