It’s that time of the year when the region’s best athletes in the high school and elementary levels get together for the Olympics of the Central Visayas: the CVIRAA, short for Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association. Starting yesterday and running until Friday, the region determines who’s who in 21 events and five demo sports, with the top athletes qualifying for the Palarong Pambansa, the climax of this step-ladder sports competition that started at the local or unit levels, leading to the division level and this week’s regionals. And this is happening in different regions nationwide. It is funded and managed by the Department of Education with assistance coming from the different local government units (LGUs).
Competing here are the different divisions of the DepEd under their structure that is slightly different from the geo-political set-up with which most are familiar. You’ll thus hear about teams from Cebu City, Cebu Province, Mandaue City, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Province, and all other DepEd units of Region 7. The peculiar shift here is that cities of the Cebu Province like Danao, Naga, Mandaue, Toledo, Carcar, Talisay, Lapu-Lapu and Bogo are teams their own, and not part of the province. The same is true for Negros Oriental and its key cities (Dumaguete, Bayawan, Bais and Tanjay). Each division is represented by winners from its Division Meet that was held earlier in the school-year. These winners are obviously school-based, which means that the schools with the best sports programs are always up there with the best of them. The clear favorite to win it all is Team Cebu City, a place that has the luxury of serving as the official address of the schools with the best sports teams. The entire CESAFI membership, except for one, is based in Cebu City. And then they also have the biggest public schools in the province. It’s almost by default that they always win the over-all championship of every CVIRAA even if they’re blindfolded. If they don’t win a CVIRAA, that would be a miracle.
But what I’m monitoring closely this year and the years to come is the drive of some LGUs and schools that leveled up and are seeking to improve their sports programs. This is good for the region as this will make the CVIRAA more competitive when they go as one team to the Palaro. One of the biggest noise-makers now is the Cebu Province which placed second at last year’s CVIRAA. Under the leadership of Atty. Ramil Abing and with the support of Gov. Junjun Davide, the Cebu Province is hell-bent on putting up a competitive front, and based on results, they could be providing Cebu City a scare. I don’t think they’ll win it all this year, but at the rate they’re going, they could topple Cebu City within the next three to four years unless Cebu City has a counter punch to throw (more on that later). Like Cebu City, the Cebu Province also has the luxury of tapping a deep source of talents that ranges from all towns from Daanbantayan to Santander. Even if this excludes the province’s cities, that’s a very deep pool from which they can discover talents. The Cebu Province has earmarked unprecedented level of resources for their support that ranges from cash to training programs.
How I wish all LGUs will take the same approach that the Cebu Province is taking. I’d like to see the bigger LGUs like Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Negros Oriental, Dumaguete and Bohol Province take bigger and bolder steps to upgrade their sports programs. What has the Cebu Province done? Aside from the usual DepEd sports meets, the Cebu Province has put up two province-wide Governor’s Cup tournaments for basketball and volleyball. Last year’s basketball tournament was successful and brought out hidden gems from the province. I’m sure the same will happen with volleyball on its first run this year. They have also conducted grassroots training programs for coaches and athletes, and I heard that this increase in terms of reach. They’re also putting up a sports complex intended for the training of their athletes. Don’t look now but I wouldn’t be surprised if the provincial government decides to put up a bigger sports complex that would be better than the aging Cebu City Sports Center. With so much space and funding, anything is possible. Now tell me. Which other LGU is doing the same? If this were a multiple-choice question in an exam, the answer is “E,” none of the above. Cebu City doesn’t even do any of these, relying on the strength of its private schools and big public schools which have the resources to run sports programs. Note that most of Cebu City’s student-athletes come from other areas and aren’t necessarily home-grown in the city. The only reply I’ve seen so far has been a declaration of Cong. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas to boost the athletic program of UV in his role as over-all head of the school’s sports program. He has said that UV shouldn’t be known only for basketball, and that’s excellent news for aspiring student-athletes and for Cebu City. With UV stepping up, and the University of Cebu and University of San Carlos already powerhouses, the super-powerhouse Cebu City just got stronger. Unless the good Congressman was referring to UV-Minglanilla? J Nah. I don’t think so. Any reply from other LGU’s?
So let the games begin. May the region discover more diamonds in the rough, more gems and send a strong team to the Palaro. But more importantly, may the CVIRAA be a memorable event for the student-athletes, coaches, officials, parents and the fans. Game na!