DepEd Baguio gears up for 2016 CARAA meet

The Department of Education – Schools Division Office of Baguio City (DepEd Baguio) is gearing up for a better hosting of this year’s upcoming Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) meet.

During a regional technical conference last week at Prince Plaza Hotel, Baguio City, the School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD) Chief Elma D. Donaal revealed the preparations being undertaken by both the City Government and DepEd and the readiness of assigned schools where athletes from the different provinces will be billeted.

Mabini Elementary School, Baguio Central School, Quezon Elementary School, and Special Education Center will host the delegations from Abra, Apayao, Benguet, and Ifugao respectively.

Kalinga delegation will stay at Rizal Elementary School, and Mt. Province at Doña Josefa Cariño Elementary School. Officiating officials and delegates from the host city will stay at Baguio City High School (BCHS).

The playing venues for the different sporting events are being primed as of press time according to school Sports Coordinator Fernando B. Eleponga.

Eleponga also guaranteed the use of the renovated athletic bowl during a site inspection on the same day. The rubber mats are installed and the surrounding areas will be concreted in time for the opening of one of the biggest sporting events in the region on February 6.

The three largest universities in the city, Saint Louis University (SLU), University of Baguio (UB), and University of the Cordilleras (UC) will be the venues for basketball, table tennis, volleyball, and arnis.

Other combative sports will be played at separate venues. Taekwondo will be at the Baguio Convention Center, wrestling at the PFVR gym, and wushu at the Woodsgate Camp 7.

Other planned playing venues are the Ibaloy park for archery, People’s Park for boxing, Melvin Jones for football, billiards at Puyat Sports, and Lawn Tennis at the Baguio Tennis Club courts.

Twelve jitneys will be provided to augment the transportation service of the participants to ferry them to and from billeting schools or playing venues. Other amenities like water ration and sacks of rice will also be provided by the City government.

Meanwhile, UC’s athletic director Danilo Cong-o pitched for the inclusion of beach volleyball as a demo sport for this year’s regional sports meet. The same sport was introduced as a demonstration game in last year’s Palarong Pambansa in Davao del Norte. The inclusion of beach volleyball is still awaiting its go signal pending the participation of the different provinces.

Aside from the preparations of the host city, updates on tournament guidelines and competition formats were discussed together with the guidelines on the eligibility of athletes and appropriate forms to be submitted and completed, and the mode of selection of athletes and coaches to the Palarong Pambansa.

There will also be a refresher course for officiating officials before the formal opening of the CARAA.

Attendees to the regional technical conference were the different sports managers or physical education and school sports coordinators of the participating provinces, members of the screening committee, tournament managers, and other technical working groups.