New Palaro date announced today

As far as Philippine Sports Commission chairman Eric Buhain is concerned, this year’s Palarong Pambansa venue is still Tubod, Lanao del Norte. The date, he said, will be known today.

"I will make a formal announcement tomorrow (today)," said Buhain during yesterday’s launching of the Milo National Open International Invitationals at the Rizal Memorial Track and Field Oval.

"But definitely it’s still Tubod, we’re only awaiting the assessment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) before we could announce the date," he added.

Buhain was reportedly in a meeting with the Palaro Management Committee (ManCom), AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Narciso Abaya and PNP chief Gen. Hermognes Ebdane at presstime to discuss the new date of the annual multi-sports meet for high school and elementary athletes.

The Department of Education, headed by Secretary Edilberto de Jesus, will also be in attendance although it announced recently to the various regional directors that the Palaro had been postponed indefinitely.

The event, initially scheduled May 4-11, was postponed due to recent spate of attacks in nearby towns Maigo and Kolambugan by rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that killed 16 civilians and hurt 20 others. — Joey Villar