Cagayan Valley sports kicks off

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines  – The weeklong Cagayan Valley Regional Athletic Association (CAVRAA) meet kicked off the other day at the sprawling Dumlao stadium and Clisoc open field here.

More than 5,000 elementary and secondary school athletes and delegates from the region’s five provinces – Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino – as well as the cities of Cauayan, Santiago and Tuguegarao, are participating in the Department of Education (DepEd)-spearheaded yearly sports activities.

The provincial government led by Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma and the province’s DepEd schools division are co-hosting this year’s sports event, which was graced during Friday’s opening day by Sen. Manny Villar.

The CAVRAA meet involves competitions in basketball, volleyball, baseball, track and field, boxing, swimming, archery, gymnastics and cycling, among other sports.

Isabela, the country’s third largest province, ruled last year’s CAVRAA meet followed by Nueva Vizcaya and Cagayan, while then host Quirino province placed fourth. – Charlie Lagasca