CARAA postponed; Mountain Province athletes frustrated

NOT AGAIN. Student-athletes from Mountain Province who will be competing in the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association meet on March 22-27 arrive at 10 a.m. in Baguio on March 9 only to be told that the games are suspended. The cancelation was subsequently announced by the city’s inter-agency task force on Monday afternoon. (PNA photo by Pigeon Lobien)

By Pigeon Lobien  

BAGUIO CITY – The 19 student-athletic team members of Mountain Province arrived here Monday to prepare themselves for the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) meet supposedly on March 22 only to find out the multi-sport event is postponed again.

The group learned of the postponement when they were already about 20 kilometers away from Baguio while traveling.

The Dept. of Education announced the postponement of all regional events organized by the department.

This was followed by the announcement of the inter-agency task force in Baguio suspending the Baguio Flower Festival grand parades including the CARAA event due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) scare.

Baguio’s announcement came as an offshoot of President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a state of public health emergency due to the Covid-19 threat.

“We were already in Tublay (Benguet) when we got the text that the CARAA is moved to another date again,” said athletics trainer Nestor Cuyopan, who escorted the students to the Baguio athletic bowl to train in the next two weeks prior the games that will start on March 23.

Tublay is less than 20 kilometers from Baguio with La Trinidad, the capital town of Benguet.

This is the second time the athletes traveled to the city in preparation for CARAA 2020 games but was postponed.

“What can we do if the games had been postponed,” Cuyopan said as he urged the kids to make use of their time by training.

The kids reported to the city sports office to get clearance from city sports coordinator Gaudencio Gonzales for their use of the tracks.

“I instead gave it for free. Kawawa naman sila at galing pa sa Mountain Province (what a pity they came all the way from [Bontoc] Mountain province,” Gonzales said.

Bontoc, is about 155 km from Baguio.

The 19 students aged between10 to 18, or grades 5 to 12, seek placements in the 2020 CARAA games to get berths to the Palarong Pambansa supposedly set in May in Marikina City.

“I would want to go back to the Palaro,” said 14-year old Alpha Baguista, who was in the 2017 Palaro.

On March 6, Dept. of Education Baguio division assistant superintendent Soraya Faculo said the CARAA board during a meeting discussed precautionary means as concerns were raised regarding the billeting of athletes after the first two reported cases of Covid-19 infection in the country.

Faculo said the Dept. of Health-Cordillera advised the CARAA board that they should prepare thermometers, isolation rooms, masks in billeting while rubbing alcohol is required in playing venues. (PNA)