City allocates P290T for little league teams

CEBU, Philippines - The city government of Cebu has approved the P290,000 budget for the 45-member Cebu City delegation to the Little League Philippine Series 2011 set from April 24 to May 1 in Lipa City, Batangas.

The bulk of the funding will go to the team's food and travel expenses as the accommodation will be provided by the host city.

This will be the first time in many years that the Queen City of the South takes part in a batted sports competition on a national level again, thanks to the efforts of Fastball’s Jess Bernad who initiated the move to send teams to this year’s LLPS.

Bernad admitted that he was hesitant at first to seek for the City government’s assistance knowing that it will involve a big amount of money.

But Bernad made the daring move after being challenged by Philippine Sports Commissioner Jolly Gomez, who is also the Little League Philippines district administrator, to do something for the young players.

This as Gomez saw the potentials of the Cebuano batted sports enthusiasts during his recent visit to Cebu.

Initially, Bernad’s group wanted to join four of the seven categories but the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) under the leadership of Edward Hayco approved only three - little league baseball and softball for players 9-12 and the seniors league softball for 13-16 years old.