DepEd: Scholarship better than cash

MANILA, Philippines - The Task Force School Sports, the Department of Education’s arm tasked to run the Palarong Pambansa, will bat for scholarship grants instead of monetary rewards as incentives for achievers in this year’s annual multi-sports meet for elementary and high school students unfolding May 8-14 in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte.

“We’d rather want that medalists in the Palarong Pambansa receive scholarship grants instead of cash incentives, we think it would motivate them more,” said Rose Domingo, the new TFSS head, in yesterday’s Scoop sa Kamayan at Kamayan-Padre Faura.

Domingo was reacting to the House Bill 3164 authored by Third District Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez, seeking to reward P10,000 to gold medal winners and P5,000 and P3,000 to the silver and bronze medalists.

Former Zamboanga del Norte Representative Romeo Jalosjos, meanwhile, said they would finish the renovation of the Olympic-sized swimming pool and rubberized track and field oval, ensuring the successful staging of the meet.

“It’s going to be one of the most enjoyable and succesful Palarong Pambansa,” said Jalosjos, who chairs the Palaro organizing committee.

Jalosjos also said they have spruced up the four football fields.

“And that is excluding the field in the center of our track and field oval so we have five football venues,” he said.

The same amount is also being proposed for medal winners in doubles events and team competitions.

The same bill also seeks to institutionalize the Palaro by appointing a five-member board composed of the Department Education Secretary, its Task Force on School Sports chief, regional directors, a representative from the National Youth Commission and head of the host local government unit.

The DepEd has also introduced secondary girls basketball and elementary boys arnis for the first time in 54-year of the Palaro for the Dapitan City staging.

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.