I GOT a copy of the memo of the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 7 for the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (Cviraa) and one of the things I readily checked was the list of delegations. I quickly found what I was looking for—Cebu Province.
To say that Cebu Province had quite some difficult time is the understatement of the year. Imagine, you have the province official information arm saying with finality that you’re not joining the regional meet just as you’re finalizing your delegation for the regional meet? I don’t think any delegation in any level of the DepEd sports tournament had to deal with the same problems that Cebu Province has.
In a memo from the regional office, Salustiano T. Jimenez told the division superintendents that “The participation, management and involvement of the Schools Divisions in terms of expenses incurred, including the Personal Accident Insurance of the whole delegation to the Cviraa meet, shall be charged against the MOOE/Special Education Fund local and other available funds.”
Well, fat chance of that happening for Cebu Province.
But despite that, Cebu Province will have 906 athletes for the Cviraa on March 15 to 21 in Dumaguete City, the third biggest delegation next to Negros Oriental, which has 1,057 and perennial champion Cebu City, which has 950. That’s a feat in itself, right?
I hope they do well. It’s safe to say the 906 athletes know what it took for them to be there and the challenges they, and their teachers, have to overcome just to be there. I’m a sucker for success stories or of athletes who defy the odds so I hope to see some of the Cebu Province athletes succeed in the regional meet and maybe even win the gold in the national meet.
Nothing shapes an athlete more than a challenge and their stint this year was definitely one because they were caught in the crossfire between Cebu Capitol and the DepEd Cebu Province.
But who knows? Maybe something good can come out of this? Maybe by doing well in the regional meet they can show Capitol that it needs to expand its sports program beyond women’s volleyball and airsoft?
So I hope Cebu Province does well in the Cviraa and I hope it matches its best finish—second place a couple of years ago.