MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education will introduce girls’ basketball for the first time when the 54th edition of the Palarong Pambansa or the National Games is held May 8-13 in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte.
“There will be secondary girls basketball in this year’s Palaro in Dapitan City,” said Department of Education assistant secretary Tonisito Umali, who heads the Task Force on School Sports in charge of the Palarong Pambansa.
Umali said the inclusion of girls’ basketball in annual summer sportsfest was inspired by the women’s national team’s title conquest in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association championship last year as well as the growing popularity of the Women’s National Basketball Association in the United States.
“Our national women’s team’s victory in the SEABA inspired us to include secondary girls basketball. There is also the WNBA, which we see on TV,” said Umali.
“And it is also a trend now since a lot of lady players are now playing the sport and we will encourage more to take up the sport by doing this,” he added.
Umali also said elementary boys arnis, an indigent sport, will also be introduced in the weeklong multi-sports meet for elementary and high school students.
Umali, however, was mum on the incllusion of football, which is on the rise following the Azkals’ exploits, although elementary and secondary football are still part of the Palaro calendar.
On tap in this year’s Palaro are athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball in the elementary division and archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, cheerdance, dance sports, football, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and volleyball in high school.
Meanwhile, Umali said some of the facilities of the main hub in Dapitan like the track and field oval and the swimming pool are still being completed with three months to go before the meet.
Umali, however, said that in case these venues remain unfinished before the event, Dipolog City, a 30-minute bus ride from Dapitan City, could be tapped as an alternative site since it already has existing venues.