SORSOGON TO HOST PALARONG PAMBANSA 2022
Sorsogon City- The Palarong Pambansa Board led by the Department of Education in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) awarded the hosting of Palarong Pambansa 2022 to the Province of Sorsogon.
The Province of Sorsogon presented its bid when the Palarong Pambansa Board convened last January 14, 2019, and from May 22 to 25, their technical inspection team visited and validated the sports facilities and billeting areas presented by the province in its bid documents and presentation. On June 24, 2019, the board convened for a regular meeting, reviewed the technical inspection report, evaluated the bid documents and made their decision.
As part of the provincial preparation for the national event, the province through the efforts of then-Senator Chiz Escudero, and now the new governor of Sorsogon, has already begun developing and improving its infrastructure, health, tourism, security, and logistics. Leading this is the on-going construction of various sports facilities within the province.
The Sorsogon Sports Coliseum within the new Sorsogon Sports Complex which is patterned after the Colosseum of Rome has a seating capacity of 15,000 and with a full house capacity of 20,000 will soon rise in Balogo, Sorsogon City. At the back of the coliseum is a three-storey building that will house the athletes and technical officers as well as athlete’s amenities. The complex will be the first in the Bicol Region with a land area of 7.1 hectares. Also within it are the new DepEd building, the DepEd gymnasium, and the athletic oval.
Other sports facilities will also be built around the province which will soon cater to various sporting events such as gymnastics, athletics, swimming, archery, baseball, softball, arnis, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, billiards, boxing, chess, futsal, tennis, sepak takraw, table tennis, taekwondo, wrestling and wushu. When it comes to healthcare, the province has also started improving its health services and facilities in every municipality. Billeting areas will also be prepared soon in order to give all the participants a comfortable stay.
After the Palarong Pambansa, the sports facilities will be turned-over to DepEd. The provincial and municipal governments as well as the various sports associations in Sorsogon will pitch-in in maintaining them. Likewise, given the fact that Sorsogon is located at the heart of the country, it can become the official training camp for future Palarong Pambansa as well as for future national and international competitions.
“I thank the Palarong Pambansa Board for declaring Sorsogon Province as the host of the 2022 Palarong Pambansa. We assure them that we will work hard for the smooth and effective implementation of all the aspects of the event. Sorsogon is a province on the rise and we Sorsoganons welcome this challege,” said Governor Escudero.
As for the preparation of the Sorsoganon athletes, the Provincial Government will be gathering the best in every field of sports within the province, to be trained through a Varsity Training Program. This will also serve as a preparation of the province for upcoming regional, national and international sports events.
The successful bid for Palarong Pambansa 2022 was made possible by the efforts and support of all the fourteen municipalities and one city of the province. This is going to be the first time that the province will host the said event.