CEBU CITY — Although nothing is definite yet, the Palarong Pambansa which will be held in this “Queen City of the South” for the third time in 40 years will most likely be held on the third week of July, 2024.

Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) chairman John Owen Pages said the Palarong Pambansa Executive Board, is set to meet later this month to finalize the dates and other details of the 64th edition of the multi-sport event involving student-athletes from public and private elemnetary and high schools from the country’s 17 regions.

“I am not sure when exactly, but the Palarong Pambansa Executive Board will be meeting in Cebu to finalize the details of the staging of the 2024 Palaro, including the dates of the meet,” said Pages in an interview with People’s Tonight during the recent WDSF Cebu Open and PDSF 3rd Quarter Rankign and Competition at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and Casino.

Pages, who succeeded long-time sports official Ed Hayco as CCSC chair last year, said Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sarah Duterte wanted to hold the Palarong Pambansa around the last week of July to give student-athletes enough time.

“Vice President Sara Duterte mandated that the elementary and high school students should have at least one month vacation when the school year ends on June 14, so we are looking at the end of July for the opening of the Palaro,” said Pages during a meeting with Hayco, PSC Commisisoner Walter Torres and PSC Mindanao officer-in-charge Noli Ayo.

Pages,who will head the local organizing committee of the Palaro, also reported that renovation of the Cebu City Sports Complex, also known as the Abellana Stadium, is now in full swing.

He said DepEd officials conducted a post-assessment meeting of the annual meet hosted by Marikina City last August.

“It was also supposed to be a planning session with all the Palarong Pambansa tournament directors but our Mayor, Mike Rama, was indisposed at that time so he was unable to attend. The results of the meeting were a prelude to what will be presented to the Palaro board,” he explained.

Among the topics discussed during the meeting was the complete list of sports to be played during the week-long competitions in Cebu,which last hosted the Palarong Pambansa in 1994.

The Palarong Pambansa, which started in 1948 in Manila, was shelved for three years from 2020 to 2022 due to the pandemic.

This year, the Palarong Pambansa made a successful return with Marikina City as the host of its 63rd edition.

Before being awarded as host of next year’s Palang Pambansa, Cebu also hosted the competition in 1954 and 1994.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ed Andaya