SIX schools are invited to join while two schools will rejoin when the 9th season of the Cordillera Higher Education Sports Athletic Association (Chesaa) opens September 3.
With nine schools already assured of joining this year's competition, six others are being eyed by Chesaa's management committee to beef up Chesaa's participation as it usher its new season.
"STI and Meridian School have signified their intention to return," said Vladimir Cayabas of host National Institute for Information Technology.
STI took an absence last year while Meridian skipped the competition for the last two years and with their return, Cayabas said, "the tournament is expected to be very exciting."
Schools, which are being eyed to join the nine-year-old collegiate league, are Eastern Luzon Colleges, Datamex, Informatics, Benguet Vocational School Colleges, Trinidad Valley Institute of Technology and Medline School.
"We are still in the process of inviting these schools and we hope we can get good response," added Cayabas.
Meanwhile, National University is a doubtful starter for this year's opening after its administrators signified their intent to skip this year's tournament.
"There's no final word yet but it seems NU is taking a leave," said Cayabas.
With its opening tentatively set Sept. 3, 10 sports discipline will be played in the first semester while seven sports events will be played in the second semester.
Games scheduled for the opening include volleyball, chess, scrabble, slowpitch baseball, darts, billiards, dance sports, cheer dance, modern dance, and the literary musical competition.
Scheduled for second semester include men's basketball, badminton, tae kwon do, arnis, table tennis, athletics, and the most awaited Mr. & Ms. Chesaa competition.
Participating schools in Chesaa include NIIT, Data Center, Cordillera Career Development College, Easter College, AMA Computer College, Baguio College of Technology, Luzon Nazarene Bible College, Baguio School of Business and Technology and Philippine Women's University. (Roderick Osis)