DepEd ‘hopeful’ Sara will attend

CEBU, Philippines — Despite the absence of Vice President and outgoing Education Secretary Sara Duterte at the opening ceremony of Palarong Pambansa last July 9, the Department of Education (DepEd) remains hopeful that she will grace the event’s closing ceremony on Tuesday, July 16.

In a press conference, DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas said Duterte’s protocol officer conducted an ocular inspection of the Cebu City Sports Complex (CCSC) yesterday, which is a good sign that she may be attending the closing ceremony.

“As we all know, the protocol officer of the Vice President and Secretary Sara has visited the place. They had their ocular inspection this morning, and we are hoping that the Vice President- Secretary will be gracing our closing ceremony,” she said.

With this eventuality, stringent security measures need to be enforced during the closing ceremony.

The Vice Presidential Security Group (VPSG) and local authorities confirmed that it would be observed to ensure comprehensive security arrangements for the vice president.

 “I'm pretty sure that they are already in communication with the PNP (Philippine National Police) of Cebu City that security measures will be in place and that no security risk will be present during the event,” Bringas said

More spectacular

 Meanwhile, Cebu City Sports Commission Chairman John Pages also said with the Cebu provincial government sponsoring the closing ceremony, the governor has personally involved herself in the preparations he expects a closing ceremony that is more spectacular than the opening ceremony.

“We are very happy to say that the Provincial Government of Cebu led by Governor Gwen Garcia is the one that's really sponsoring the entire cost of the closing ceremony,” he said.

“Let’s also expect something spectacular, maybe even a first not just in Cebu but in the Philippines…. We met with Gov. Gwen, I think the other week, and she, personally, in those two hours, was involved in the preparation. So, she’s very excited,” he added.

On July 4, the Cebu Provincial Government announced that it pledged P8 million as budget in hosting the closing ceremony.

For her part, Bringas mentioned that Governor Matthew Manotoc of Ilocos Norte, which will host next year’s Palarong Pambansa, along with DepEd’s Palarong Pambansa board members, will attend the closing ceremony. (CEBU NEWS)