Senator Loren Legarda has expressed support for the ongoing Palarong Pambansa which is held in her home province of Antique on April 23 to 29, stressing the importance of providing support, motivation and exposure to the Filipino youth to enable them to become effective contributors to nation building.
“The youth has a vital role to play in the development of our nation and we are responsible for ensuring the promotion and protection of their physical, moral, social, intellectual and spiritual well-being. By encouraging them to participate in national events such as the Palarong Pambansa, we are gradually engaging them to be part of the country’s development agenda,” Legarda stressed.
The province of Antique is hosting for the first time this year’s Palarong Pambansa, which has the theme, “2017 Palarong Pambansa: Converges Youth Power, Builds Sustainable Future”. Around 12,000 delegates are participating.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), this year’s Palaro has introduced two demo sports and one demo event–pencak silat, dance sports, and aerobic gymnastics. It also features the sports development programs of the Duterte administration to counter drugs and crimes.
The Senator noted that the Palarong Pambansa is not only geared towards sports development but also serves as a venue for instilling the values of self-discipline, respect for law and order, sportsmanship and camaraderie–the important traits that our future leaders must possess.
She added, “Competitive sports, physical education, recreation and active living must be encouraged among our youth through inter-sectoral cooperation. I am confident that this sporting event will turn out a success owing to the active collaboration among concerned government agencies.”
Meanwhile, Legarda expressed her gratitude to the Deped and Philippine Sports Commission’s trust and confidence in her home province to host the annual sporting event. She said the Palaro is a very significant event because this is where athletes who will represent the Philippines in international competitions would be discovered.