THE province of Ilocos Sur will host the 2018 Palarong Pambansa.
Officials of the Department of Education said this following a meeting last week.
The decision was reached after a close match among five local government unit (LGU) bidders,according to Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones in a statement.
The other contenders who placed their bid to host the Palaro next year were Marikina City; Baguio City and the province of Benguet; the province of Bulacan; and Ilagan City, Isabela.
Secretary Briones said the bidders were all assessed based on their readiness and the completeness of their sports facilities.
She added compliance of these facilities to meet international standards was also a factor.
The DepEd also considered the distance of the venues from the billeting quarters, the peace and order in the area, and the support of other LGUs and stakeholders in the locality.
“We had a group of technical inspectors that visited these LGUs and they scored almost the same. But the province of Ilocos Sur won the bidding because of its offering on how to make the conduct of the Palaro different for next year,” Secretary Briones said.
On the other hand, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Liaison Office, External Partnerships Service, and School Sports Division Tonisito M.C. Umali, Esq. explained that Ilocos Sur was able to articulate how the conduct of Palaro in their province will have an impact not only to their people but to all student-athletes as well.
Ilocos Sur will have its 100th year celebration as a province, according to Umali.