4,500 young athletes to compete in Batang Pinoy Luzon

The rain did not stop thousands of young athletes to show their love for sports as they represent their respective provinces during the opening ceremony of the Philippine Youth Games dubbed as Batang Pinoy 2015 held in Bulacan Sports Complex in this city this afternoon.

Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado welcomed the delegates from different parts of Luzon and even congratulated them for being part of the Philippine Youth Games, which is one of the biggest dreams of every aspiring national athlete.

“Ito ay isang magandang pagkakataon na ipamalas ng ating mga kabataan ang kanilang talento sa mga paligsahang pampalakasan. Ito rin ang magandang pagkakataon na bumuo ng pagkakaibigan at teamwork mula sa iba’t ibang lugar sa Luzon. Huwag din tayong matakot na matalo dahil ito ay hindi laging kabiguan. Ito rin ay maituturing na tagumpay lalo na kung tayo ay nagpakita ng patas at malinis na laban,” Alvarado said.

The governor, who is also the chairman of the Regional Development Council in Central Luzon, also said that Batang Pinoy is the best way to develop the participants’ basic athletic skills and to prevent the youths in getting involved in different bad habits and activities.

Meanwhile, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Joel Villanueva, the guest speaker of the event, said that through sportsmanship and camaraderie, everyone can be a strong foundation towards a progressive and united country.

“Huwag nating sayangin ang pagkakataong ito na ipakita ang ating angking kakahayan sa larangan ng sports. Ipakita natin na mayroon tayong malinis at patas na paligsahan at huwag tayong bumitiw sa ating mga pangarap,” the TESDA Director General said. 

Villanueva also encouraged the youths to remember the three important words in every sports competition which are ‘Ready, Set, Go’ which means to dream big, to plan and to take action to achieve their goals and visions in any aspects of life.

Prior to this, Philippine Sports Commissioner Jose Luis Gomez expressed his gratitude to the Provincial Government of Bulacan for the support to the qualifying leg and commended the sacrifice of the coaches and participants for joining the competition.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa suporta na ibinibigay ng Bulacan at maging sa mga coaches and players na nagbibigay ng kanilang panahon upang makalikom ng pondo para sa kanilang uniporme at pangangailangan para sa kumpetisyon,” Gomez said.

Children ages 15 years olad including out of school youths are the participants of the competition and will compete in different sports including basketball, volleyball, athletics, dance sports, gymnastics, tennis, swimming, triathlon, baseball, archery and other sports activities that will showcase their athletic skills and potentials.

The Philippine Youth Games otherwise known as Batang Pinoy as stated in Executive Order No. 44, serves as the national sports competition program for children and envisioned to address the need for a grassroots sports program centered on values formation inherent in the practice of sports and fair play.