Elegino seeks to develop sports in barangay level

THE Sports Development Division of the City Mayor's Office (SDD-CMO) will continue its focus on the development of sports in the barangay level for this year.

SDD-CMO officer-in-charge Pocholo Elegino, in a recent interview at his office in Magsaysay Park, said he aims to develop homegrown athletes from barangays that could excel not only in the national level but also in the international level.

With this, SDD-CMO took the initiative of organizing various clinics and competitions for young athletes from different barangays.

"Basketball is among the most popular sports in the country so we prioritized a clinic for this sport to invite many aspiring athletes from the barangays," Elegino said.

Recently, the SDD-CMO along with veteran coaches from different schools conducted free basketball clinics in different barangays. Elegino also spearheaded the 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Barangames at the Kadayawan Hall of the NCCC Mall of Davao recently.

Elegino stressed that the SDD-CMO will also conduct more barangay-based activities for football, volleyball and chess since these events are next to basketball when it comes to popularity.

SDD-CMO partnered with the coaches of the Davao Football Association in holding a free football clinic at the Crocodile Park during the summer.

"Once we have made a sustainable development project for basketball and football, we will then move on to volleyball and chess," Elegino said.

The SDD-CMO is now preparing the lineup of activities for the Kadayawan Festival 2012.

Although school-based tournaments will still be among the activities for the Kadayawan, Elegino said they will focus more on barangay-based tournaments.