BACOLOD, Philippines – This year’s Western Visayas Regional Athletic (WVRAA) Meet opened at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City on Thursday, May 2.
Co-hosted by the local governments of Negros Occidental and Bacolod, the six-day event, which will conclude on May 7, gathered 2,976 student athletes to compete in various sports disciplines in preparation for the Palarong Pambansa in Cebu this June.
The athletes, elementary graders up to senior high school students, come from the six provinces in Western Visayas: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.
WVRAA 2024 is confronted by numerous challenges in Bacolod, including the rising temperatures, water scarcity, rotating blackouts, and traffic jams.
Dr. Ramir Uytico, director of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Western Visayas, said all outdoor events would start at 6 am and end before 10 am, while those in the afternoon would take place starting at 4 pm, schedules that factored in the sweltering heat during certain periods of the day.
“We will not risk the safety of our players,” Uytico said.
Apart from Bacolod, some events will be played in the nearby localities of Murcia, Silay, and Talisay.
San Carlos City will be hosting the sepak takraw for elementary and secondary events.
A nearly three-hour traffic jam in Bacolod marred the WVRAA 2024 opening ceremonies. The event, however, concluded with a colorful and grandiose field demonstration by 2,000 student performers from the Negros Occidental High School (NOHS), followed by a “unity dance” to the tune of Abanse Negrense, and a grand fireworks display.
Arnel Lapore, general manager of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), promised organizers a stable power supply at the different sporting venues in Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, and Murcia despite a power crisis gripping Western Visayas.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Bacolod has dispatched 10 tankers to deliver water to the 12 billeting areas for student athletes, according to Fire Officer 1 Paul Servano, the bureau’s spokesman in the city. Bacolod has been facing a shortage in the supply of tap water as a result of months of dry weather conditions.
“But our water supply is only for bathing,” said Servano.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) has fielded officers to ensure the safety of the participants at the sporting venues and billeting areas in San Carlos, Talisay, Silay, Murcia, and Panaad Sports Complex for six days, said Captain Judesses Catalogo, NOCCPO spokesman.
The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) also ramped up security operations in the city, especially in places where the competitions would take place and areas where the athletes are staying, said Major Elmer Bonilla, chief of Bacolod Police Station 1. –Rappler.com