By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The Visayas leg of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) Games is set to commence at the Manuel Torres Sports Complex in Negros Occidental’s Bago City this weekend.
The showpiece will be graced by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richard Bachmann, who expressed his full support for the program aimed to promote inclusivity through sports, and give a platform for all members of the society to showcase the sport they love.
“This is the PSC’s way of taking good care of the welfare of our aspiring athletes coming from the minorities. It is among our top [priorities] to deliver the value of sports in taking up a genuine cause for our IP communities,” Bachmann said.
The IP Games in Bago City will be the second edition for this year, after the Luzon leg which took place in Ilocos Sur’s Salcedo town.
More than 300 IP members will join the event, and 17 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental will be participating in the said event, including the cities of Kabankalan, San Carlos, Bago, Cadiz, Sagay, Sipalay, Himamaylan, Silay, and Talisay.
Also sending their delegates are the municipalities of Isabela, Binalbagan, Hinoba-an, Don Salvador Benedicto, Calatrava, Candoni, Ilog, and Cauayan.
To ensure the smooth conduct of the program, PSC Commissioner Matthew “Fritz” Gaston, who is in-charge of the IP Games, kept close coordination with the Bago City government, Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives, and partner agencies, including the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Department of Education.
“We would like to acknowledge our LGU partner and host, Bago City, Negros Occidental, headed by Mayor Nicholas Yulo, together with Vice Mayor Ramon Torres, for wholeheartedly accepting the invitation to hold the Visayas leg of the IP Games this year in Bago City,” Gaston said.
The IP Forum will also be included within the two-day program which will discuss the importance of IP communities and express encouragement among the younger generations to promote local culture.
The games will also be open to photography enthusiasts in taking snaps of the moments for the IP Photo Contest.
The General Santos City is set as host for the Mindanao leg to be held late in October, in time with the celebration of the Indigenous Peoples’ Month./ASC, WDJ