BY CHRISTINE MONCADA
ALTHOUGH Puerto Princesa City, host of the 2008 Palarong Pambansa, is generally
considered a tourist-friendly destination, local organizers of the annual summer
sporting spectacle are not leaving the security of participants to chance.
Puerto Princesa City Information Officer Alroben Goh
yesterday said 500 security personnel will be deployed in all venues during the
week-long staging of the Palaro on April 20-26 to ensure the safety of athletes
and officials from 17 participating regions.
The security personnel will come from the Philippine National
Police, the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Air Force,
Navy and Army) and private security officers.
"It’s been quite a while since we hosted an event like this.
We just want to make sure that everything will be in place," said Goh, a
three-time city councilor.
Puerto Princesa City, headed by Mayor Edward Hagedorn, will
host the annual grassroots event for the first time.
The last multi-event held in the city was the Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asean Growth Area tournament in 2002
although it has hosted various sport events like the Asian Motocross last month.
"We’ve had sports event held here pero matagal-tagal na rin
na nag-host kami ng multi-event kaya gusto naming maging hitch-free ang Palaro,"
Goh stressed.
Close to 10,000 athletes and sports officials are expected in
Puerto Princesa for the summer sportsfest.
The competitors will see action in arnis basketball, lawn tennis, athletics,
swimming, badminton, baseball, chess, gymnastics, table tennis, taek-wondo,
volleyball, football, boxing, sipa, softball and sepak takraw.
