LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Collegiate athletes all over the Ilocos Region gather in the 27th Private Schools Athletic Association-Region 1 (PRISAA-R1) Meet, which formally opened in a recently at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center, Capitol Compound here.
Spearheading the kickoff was Governor Amado “Pogi” I. Espino, III, who welcomed in his keynote address the seven-chapter PRISAA delegation to the games held once again in Pangasinan.
He encouraged the budding athletes to manifest respect and good sportsmanship by maintaining a competitive-yet-fair play to their opponents.
“This is all I ask of you—respect the game by respecting for your opponents. In every game, you should view your opponent as someone who could bring the best in you,” Gov. Espino said.
The provincial chief executive took the opportunity to announce his administration’s bid to raise a sports academy for the province where young aspiring Pangasinense sports enthusiasts could be adequately trained and honed on the field they would like to excel on.
Following the governor was PRISAA-R1 President Guillermo Dela Cruz who lifted the spirits of the hundreds of contingents from the seven chapters of the association in his inspirational message.
Among the PRISAA-R1 chapters contending for the supremacy in this year’s meet are: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Metro Dagupan, Metro San Carlos, Pangasinan I and Pangasinan II.
Pangasinan has long been a favorite venue for the regional collegiate games among private tertiary institutions, with last year’s PRISAA-R1 in the province being the most recent.
By Dexter A. See
