LINGAYEN–More than a thousand lit balloons released by athletes glowed in the early evening sky on May 12 in a dramatic closure of the 2012 Palarong Pambansa at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) here.

As the balloons soared, the athletes and other members of the delegations joined in the singing of “Old Lang Syne”, clapping, hugging and kissing each other goodbye while the spectators at the grandstand held flickers in their hands.

The week-long annual sporting event, participated in by elementary and high school students from around the country, ended with the National Capital Region (NCR) again dominating most of the games and going home with the champion’s crown after logging in 733 points.

Perennial second-placer Western Visayas again tried to break NCR’s supremacy but managed to pool only 452 points.

Southern Tagalog came in third place with 335 points while Central Visayas was in fourth place with 305.17 points.

In fifth place was Northern Mindanao with 170.5 points, followed by Central Luzon with 57points, and Cotabato Region taking seventh place with 125.17 points.

In eighth place is the Mimaropa Region comprising of Mindoro, Masbate, Romblon and Palawan, which managed to accumulate 117.17 points.

Host Region 1 also put up an impressive performance by scoring 97.01 points to place ninth overall, a good three rungs up the ladder from its 12th place finish in the 2011 Palarong Pambansa in Dapitan City.

Region 1, which includes Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, bagged seven gold, 11 silver and 16 bronze.

Pangasinan contributed 5 gold.

Davao Region took 10th place at 96.5points while Cordillera Administrative Region settled for 11th place with 87.5 points, followed by Zamboanga Peninsula in 12th with 46.17 points.

In 13th place was Cagayan Valley with 31.5 points and one of its athletes, Julian Reem Fuentes, broke the 10-year record in the long jump on the first day of competition.

Bicol Region was 14th with 30.5 points, followed by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in at 15th place with 19 points and Caraga Region in 16th place with 14.17 points.

THREE THINGS

The Department of Education (DepEd) lauded Pangasinan for hosting this year’s Palarong Pambansa with Secretary Armin Luistro saying during the closing ceremony that delegates will remember the host province for three important things: a well-maintained Olympic standard playing venues, smooth coordination among the provincial and other local government units, and this year’s event as the cleanest and greenest in the history of the Palaro.

“I mentioned only three but there is more,” said Luistro.

Luistro also commended the provincial government for good planning, citing how it ensured that no game was played from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to protect the young athletes from possible heat stroke.

“Ipagmalaki ninyo na kayo ay taga-Pangasinan. Ipagmalaki ninyo ang probinsiya ng Pangasinan,” Luistro said. (with report from PIA-Pangasinan)

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