Great odds to face Northern Mindanao team in Tarlac Palaro
HEAVY odds are awaiting the Northern Mindanao delegation in the 2010 Palarong Pambansa where the province of Tarlac will be hosting on April 11-17.
But Northern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association (NMRAA) team manager Raymund S. Antolo assured that their contingency plan is good enough to surmount the odds.
Ranging from rotating brownouts and the adverse effects of El Nino phenomenon, Antolo told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro Friday that such predicaments may be posing serious problems on the coming Tarlac Palaro "but we're optimistic to overcome it."
While anticipating that glitches like these might come to fore in Tarlac, Antolo said they are preparing "well-planned" counter measures to bail the Northern Mindanao team out from serious trouble.
"Obstacles like these should not reach a corrosive level nor dampen our spirit. That's why we're going to arm our delegates with a plethora of umbrellas to endure the biting heat of summer sun," said Antolo.
He also revealed that last year's budget for water supply in Tacloban, Leyte Palaro that amounted to P50,000 will be doubled in Tarlac "to ensure that our athletes will be safe from heat stroke, dehydration among other negative aftermath against human health conditions wrought by climate change."
The 600-member strong NMRAA delegation is set to leave here on March 31 to the week-long competition for the country's top student athletes in elementary and secondary levels.
And for the first time, Department of Education-Northern Mindanao (DepEd-10) Director IV Luz S. Almeda had subjected the NMRAA team in a "35-day intensive training program" from Feb. 25 to March 31.
"We are determined to improve our seventh-place finish in Tacloban Palaro," said Antolo, even as he acknowledged the Palaro venue in Tarlac as Northern Mindanao's toughest test in their bid to break into the top 5.
Antolo said the Northern Mindanao team will be billeted at the annex building of Tarlac City National High School.
While it is located at the very heart of Tarlac City, Antolo said it is roughly 17 kilometers away from the playing venue.
"Unlike sa ato dinhe nga anaa ra sa siyudad ang Palaro Center, sa ila didto nahimutang sa su-ok nga dapit ang main venue sa Palaro games," was his "bad news.”