Puerto Princesa-Palawan gears up for Palaro

The combined Puerto Princesa City-Palawan team ran away with the overall crowns and will form the nucleus of the delegation Region IV-B or MIMAROPA (Mindoro-Marinduque-Romblon-Palawan) in the 2003 Palarong Pambansa.

The Puerto Princesa team, under Mayor Edward Hagedorn, and the Palawan squad amassed 197 points to prevail with plenty to spare in the elementary division of the regional games staged March 22 to 28 at the sprawling Palawan Sports Complex.

Hagedorn’s team also copped the high school overall championship, totaling 272 points built around title victories in boys‚ swimming, volleyball, football, sepak takraw, badminton doubles, table tennis singles and doubles, chess, taekwondo and boxing and in girls‚ badminton doubles, table tennis doubles, chess and taekwondo.

"We are sending a team we feel is formidable and one that would be in strong contention in the Palaro," said Hagedorn, whose administration in Puerto Princesa has sports development as one of its top priorities. Puerto Princesa has successfully hosted the Batang Pinoy‚s fourth edition last December.

Rounding out the standings in the elementary division were Oriental Mindoro second with 142 points, Occidental Mindoro third with 110 points, Romblon fourth with 55, Calapan City fifth with 10 and Marinduque sixth with zero.

Calapan City was second in the high school category with 90 points, followed by Occidental Mindoro 84, Oriental Mindoro 83, Marinduque 72 and Romblon 55.

Puerto Princesa-Palawan‚s conquest in the elementary division were recorded in boys‚ volleyball, badminton doubles and chess and in girls‚ badminton doubles, table tennis singles and doubles, chess and gymnastics‚ ribbon, ball and hoop events.