BAGUIO CITY—Mayor Mauricio Domogan announced that the country’s Summer Capital will again host the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) games next year after the different provinces in the region failed to submit prompt hosting bids.
Domogan said the City School Board approved the allocation of more than P2.6 million from its P81 million 2017 budget to fund the regional sports meet for the third consecutive year.
“We already gave instructions to concerned stakeholders to start preparing for the CARAA so that our shortcomings during the previous hostings will be corrected considering that we are a highly urbanized city,” he stressed.
Domogan revealed that the two-year rehabilitation of the Baguio Athletic Bowl should be completed by February next year when the regional sports competition will be held. Indoor and combative games will be done in other sports venues around the city, he said.
According to Domogan, the funds to be allocated by the local government will augment the budget earmarked by the Department of Education, the lead agency hosting the athletic meet.
CARAA winners will represent the CAR in the Palarong Pambansa that will be held in the Visayas next year. Baguio will bid for the hosting of the Palaro in 2018.
Domogan said the P60-million multipurpose sports building to be built in the Baguio Athletic Bowl will be completed by the end of next year and will be used for the possible hosting of the Palaro two years from now.
The mayor explained that Baguio and Benguet will co-host the Palaro to maximize available sports facilities for the scheduled events.
He claimed Baguio will bid for the hosting of the 2018 Palarong Pambansa once the DepEd and the Philippine Sports Commission open the bid proceedings before the closing of the national games next year.
Part of the rehabilitation of the Baguio Athletic Bowl is funded by the national government through the Department of Public Works and Highways-Baguio City District Engineering Office.