TAGUM CITY — What could be more inspiring to see young Ata-Manobo children from Talaingod, Davao del Norte appearing with the country’s two of the most successful athletes— Eric Buhain and Elma Muros-Posadas, and football star Yannick Tuason in video material touted as “star-studded” promoting Palarong Pambansa 2015.
The Ata-Manobo runners — Joshue Tiwog, Rica Andil, Rochell Anggol, Jeanneth Mansumilay, Jesme Baucon, Relyn Calooy, Shiela Mae Bantao, Ruben Enggo Jr, Junior Lito Mabanag and Ronald Dauban—were student-athletes of Davao del Norte trained under a special program dubbed as “Talaingod DavNor Runners.”
“It’s a special training program for IP students who want to excel in sports, especially in the fields of athletics,” says Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario.
He explained that the program serves as a “springboard” to allow the local government units showcase whatever brand of skills they could produce in the field of sports.
For instance, del Rosario said, in the case of Talaingod Davnor runners, “training to run the lumad children is easy because it’s their daily way of life.”
Entitled “Palaro ng Pagkakaisa”, the 4-minute video can now be accessed via www.youtube.com with the lead performance of folk singer and theatre artist Anathea Marie (Maan) Chua along with Buhain, Posadas, Tuason and Davao del Norte athletes.
“They are three of the most inspiring faces in Philippine sports, and the Palarong Pambansa is the best platform where their iconic status would boost the dedication and skills of the student-athletes in the Palarong Pambansa,” said del Rosario.
Rooting for peace in Mindanao, the Palarong Pambansa 2015 anthem composed by Chua aims “to show to the world how sports could be a powerful tool in achieving peace.”
The video also features local tourist spots in Davao del Norte province such as the Christ the King Cathedral’s biggest wooden rosary; New Corella’s cascading Panas Waterfalls, Samal Island’s pristine white beach, Talaingod’s lush green mountain ranges and world-class facilities of Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex.
On Monday, the Department of Education announced that there will be 850 special games athletes set to compete in Palarong Pambansa 2015.
“One of Palaro’s highlights over the past years is the Special Games category where children with special needs (CSNs) are able to showcase their sporting talents to the community,” DepEd said in a statement.
The Special Games are composed of Athletics (100M, 200M, 400M, 4X100M, Shot put, Running & Standing long jump), Swimming (50M Backstroke, Breastroke, Freestyle), Goal ball and Bocce – a ball sport closely related to bowling.
Davao del Norte is this year’s host of country’s national games competitions to be held from May 3 to 9 at the Davao del Norte Sports Complex in Tagum City.(davaotoday.com)
