Mt Province officials push sports program; cite flaws

By Angel Baybay

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Political leaders urged provincial secors and constituents to help in sports endeavors which they said is part of the wholesome development of children.

In his inspirational message during the opening of the recent Provincial Athletic Meet, Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. said sports development is a concern of all sectors.

“The local government units nor the Department of Education cannot do it alone. Parents and other key players should come in,” the governor said as he rallied the athletes to improve their performance in the regional athletic meet after finishing at the last rung of the standing last year.

He cited as an example the lawn tennis players of the province who became competitive because of the support of the parents, club members, and some businessmen. “They did not ask help from the provincial government or from the local Dep-Ed office. Parents took the initiative of training their children and personally handled other training expenses,” Lacwasan observed.

He governor also called on the athletes to religiously discipline themselves if they want to be champions as he cited three-time Olympian Hector Begeo who became a national champion without any formal training. “I know many of you could excel but you need years of strict discipline, physical preparation and  dedication,” the governor pointed out.

For his part, Bontoc mayor Franklin Odsey challenged concerned individuals to accept their shortcomings and start rebuilding from the past experience. “This is not finger pointing. It simply saying that we should own what we failed to do and learn from those mistakes,” Odsey emphasized.

Dep-Ed Assistant Secretary Reevsee Escobedo who delivered the keynote speech advised sports officials to prioritize sports programs that will cater to events where the students could excel. “You should know what sports event the children are interested and where they could be competitive. That is where you could concentrate because it is simply improbable that they could be good in all events,” Escobedo said.

To physically prepare the children, Escobedo hinted that sport officials should organize sports clubs in all levels and come out with activities to insure the fitness of athletes the whole year. His proposal stands parallel with the suggestion of the governor who said that it is time for the other sports disciplines to organize themselves and then come out with a sports development plan which could be the basis of soliciting the support of the business sector.

After finishing fourth during the 2017 CARAA, the provincial athletes submitted the worst performance early this year during the regional athletic meet in Abra, its poorest standing through all the years.