Baguio City to host Batang Pinoy regional games

By Roderick Osis
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

BAGUIO City’s athletes will have their hands full anew as the Summer Capital readies for the hosting of the Batang Pinoy Regional leg slated Nov. 24 to 27.

After a seven-year hiatus, the Batang Pinoy has been revived by the Philippine Sports Commission, which will include four other regional legs and a national final set Dec. 10 to 13 in Naga City.

The 2011 Batang Pinoy is open to athletes aged 13 to 15 with the best athletes from the regional legs competing in the national finals.

“Baguio City is willing to host the event and whatever the Batang Pinoy needs, the city will be glad of extending its help,” said Mayor Mauricio Domogan in a press conference recently.

Archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, three-on-three basketball, boxing, chess, gymnastics, judo, swimming, table tennis, lawn tennis, tae kwon-do, wrestling and weightlifting will be part of the calendar of the events in the Batang Pinoy which was last held in 2004.

Domogan said PSC Commissioner and acting executive director Joaquin Loyzaga had already expressed their desire to also help Baguio in hosting the four-day event.

Athletes who will be discovered in this year’s edition of the Batang Pinoy will be tapped for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

Batang Pinoy will also identify potential athletes on a regional and national level for the Youth Olympic Games from different sectors which includes the out-of-school youth.

The event will also serve as a complement for the Palarong Pambansa where the first and second year high school athletes can already show their talents before the Palaro.

The event is in partnership with the Philippine Olympic Committee, Department of Education, Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Leagues of Provinces, Cities, Municipalities and Barangays.

With Baguio hosting the northern Luzon regional leg, the National Capital Region leg will be on November 17 to 20 at the University of Makati and the Southern Tagalog regionals on December 1 to 4 in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

The Mindanao regionals will be held in Zamboanga City on October 27 to 30; the Visayas leg will be on November 10 to 13 in Dumaguete City.

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on October 26, 2011.