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Central Luzon regional sports meet set for April 24-28

By Zorayda Tecson

April 11, 2023, 7:31 pm

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Education (DepEd) 3 (Central Luzon) announced on Tuesday the conduct of the Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association (CLRAA) Meet on April 24-28 in various playing venues in the region.

DepEd-3 Director May Eclar said the move is in accordance with the department order, which provides that division meets and regional meets shall be conducted on Feb. 6-10 and April 24-28, respectively, as recommended by the Palarong Pambansa Secretariat.

“We are delighted to hold the CLRAA once again after more than three years as a result of the pandemic because our learners who excel in various sports activities will once again be given the opportunity to further improve their skills and discipline relative to their respective sports category,” Eclar said in a statement.

The regional sports meet opening program will be held simultaneously at the DepEd-3 office covered court and other playing venues in the region.

The participants in the regional sporting event are elementary and secondary school students, as well as junior and senior high school learners from public and private schools who participated in the local meets.

The sports events include archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, basketball 3×3, billiards, boxing, chess, dance sport, football, futsal, gymnastics, para games, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, wrestling, and wushu.

The regional athletic meet is in preparation for the pre-national qualifying meet, an additional tier before the conduct of the Palarong Pambansa, which will be held in Marikina City from July 29 to August.

Eclar said the pre-national qualifying meet aims to decrease the number of delegations, shorten the duration of the event, and reduce the expenses to be incurred without sacrificing the level of play.

As such, she said, the new level would only feature team sports, such as baseball, basketball, football, futsal, sepak takraw, softball, and volleyball.

Under the new tier, delegations will be clustered into four groups based on their geographical location.

Cluster 1 comprises the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region; Cluster 2 is made up of Calabarzon, Mimaropa, National Capital Region, and Bicol Region; Cluster 3 includes Western, Central and Eastern Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula; and Cluster 4 covers Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccksargen, Caraga, and BARMM.

The top two regional delegations per cluster will then advance to the actual Palarong Pambansa event.

Measurable sports, such as athletics, swimming, and archery, will adopt the qualifying distance, time, and points set by the Palarong Pambansa.

On the other hand, other sports that do not apply qualifying standards in the selection of athletes and are not identified as team sports will advance directly to the Palarong Pambansa culminating competitions.

“The modified competition format aims to prevent the disruption of classes and to observe minimum public health and safety protocols,” Eclar added. (PNA)

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