WITH some school representatives still jostling for the requirements of their athletes, the 13th Milo Little Olympics Mindanao unveils its opening ceremony today at Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center.  

Various delegations will assemble here at the Capitol ground before the noontime parade (1 pm) bringing the elementary and secondary athletes from the private and public schools in Mindanao to the city's main sporting hub.

For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter

"Opening na man gyod ugma (today) pero paningkamotan namo nga ma-apas pa ang mga kulang nga papel before the games start on Saturday," said one school official after realizing there are still lacking on the papers he submitted yesterday at the Milo sports secretariat.

"Daghan sa among estudyante dili maka-afford pag produce sa NSO birth certificate kay public school man amo krisis ang mga ginuikinan," another one was overheard as saying.

Nevertheless, "the show will go on," according to Megdonio R. Llamera, Milo's area manager for Mindanao.

And no less than Manuel V. Pangilinan, the country's top patron of sports development and promotions, will grace the opening ceremonies of the multifarious meet aimed to discover future Olympic heroes.

Pangilinan, chairperson of Smart Communications Inc. and Philippine Long Distance Telecommunications (PLDT), is  guest of honor and speaker of the biggest in-school sports competitions under the auspices of Nestle Philippines, Inc. with the support of the Department of Education. 

Jointly hosted by the local governments of Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro, Governor Oscar S. Moreno and City Mayor Constantino "Tinnex" Jaraula will also be giving their welcome messages as well as in hoisting  the Philippine Olympic Committee banner.

Congressmen Yevgeny Vincente Emano of Misamis Oriental, Rufus Rodriguez and Rolando Uy of Cagayan de Oro were also invited to attend the opening rites while Msgr. Elmer Abacahin, national executive director of the Basic Ecclesial Communities of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), will lead the invocation.

Joining the hoisting of the banners are assistant vice president and MILO Sports Events Executive Pat Goc-ong for Nestle Philippines, Inc. and Regional Director Estrella Abid-Babano for the Department of Education.

Director Babano chairs the 13th MILO Little Olympics Mindanao executive committee.
Events to be contested this year include athletics, badminton, chess, football, gymnastics, lawn tennis, table tennis, sepak takraw, swimming, taekwondo, volleyball and the "new sport in the block" being scrabble. (With UCQ reports)