GENERAL SANTOS CITY–It’s all systems go for the South Cotabato leg of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)-backed Indigenous Peoples (IP) Games slated on June 14 to 16 in Lake Sebu town.
PSC Commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey said Wednesday they are all set for the three-day games, which is the second in Mindanao since its launching in late April in Davao del Norte.
In his letter to South Cotabatao Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes, Maxey said the games are part of the national government’s efforts to preserve, promote and propagate the rich cultural heritage of the IPs.
Maxey said such mandate was provided for in Republic Act 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Right Act of 1997.
The PSC official said the initiative aims to give equal opportunity to everyone, including the IPs, to excel in sports.
The event will feature competitions and demonstrations of various traditional games such as Kadang-Kadang sa Bagol, Kadang-Kadang sa Bamboo, Lubok sa Humay, Butong sa Lubid, Pana, Bangkaw, Basket sa Likod, 4x100m event and 100-meter run.
Women participants will see action in the Lubok sa Humay and Kadang-Kadang sa Bagol events.
Maxey, who is the oversight commissioner for the IP Games, said it is being implemented by the PSC all over the country as part of the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to the agency to look for potential athletes, who can be part of the national team and represent the country in national and international competitions.
“We have so many IPs who made a mark in their own respective sports events in the past,” he said.
He said they are currently working on the institutionalization of the IP Games – by making it a regular event after it was approved by the PSC board to become a part of its annual plans and programs.
PSC has scheduled the third edition of the games in August in Bukidnon. The other legs will be held in Ifugao, Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya.
Gov. Fuentes lauded the PSC for choosing the province, especially Lake Sebu town, as host of the second IP Games, saying it complements the local government’s efforts to preserve the culture and traditions of the area’s tribal communities.
Lake Sebu is mainly inhabited by the Tbolis, the province’s dominant tribal group. (Hydee Templonuevo/PNA)
