LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Pangasinan athletes have all passed the national screening and interview for the Palarong Pambansa 2018 conducted on Tuesday, adding more to their confidence about bringing home the gold medals.
Regional Athletic Manager Edilberto Abalos for Region 1, in an interview, said the athletes and coaches are in ‘high spirit’ as they are 100 percent ready for the tournament.
About 350 delegations from Pangasinan have arrived in Ilocos Sur since April 5, after they were sent off from their rigorous 20-day training hosted by the Pangasinan provincial government.
“We do not have funds for the training, so we are grateful that Governor Amado Espino III initiated that the provincial government shoulders the expenses for the training of our athletes with their coaches, which concluded last April 5,” he said.
Abalos is confident that the Pangasinan delegations, along with the other delegations from Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union, are all prepared considering the training they have gone through.
“We had a month-long training in Pangasinan and until now, they continue to train here (Ilocos Sur) before the competition starts on April 16,” he said.
The Pangasinan delegations have been assigned to San Sebastian Elementary School, San Sebastian National High School and Podoc Elementary School as their billeting areas.
The Palarong Pambansa 2018, joined in by 17 regions nationwide, will formally open on April 16 with President Rodrigo Duterte as the guest of honor and speaker. (Hilda Austria/PNA)
