DEPED DAGUPAN’S DILEMMA

DEPED Dagupan is in a serious quandary.

It has no funds to conduct its division meet scheduled on February 6 -10 –  to select its athletes that will represent the city of Dagupan to the Region 1 Athletic Meet slated on April 24 to 28, in accordance with the national calendar of the Department of Education – because the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has not approved the city’s Proposed 2023 Annual Budget and its Proposed Annual Investment Programs.

DepEd Dagupan’s other dilemma is not being able to access the P46 million Special Educational Fund (SEF) for sports training included in the annual AIP for 2023 until it is approved by the SP.

Finnela Sim, sports head of the city government, said only the passage of the budget can resolve DepEd’s dilemma as Mayor Belen Fernandez can only fund the temporary repair of the Olympic-size swimming pool at the Dagupan Pool Site  that was left in state of disrepair by the Lim administration, so swimmers participating in the division meet can use it right away.

Sim said the full repair and restoration of the entire Pool Site was not implemented because the SP also did not pass the 2022 Supplemental Budget No. 1 of year 2022.

Dagupan is sending a delegation of 500 athletes, to the R1AA meet, Sim said.

Under the DepEd national sports calendar, clustered pre-national qualifying meets are scheduled on February 17 to 21 and the Palarong Pambansa on July 29 to August 5.

Since R1AA was not held in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Dagupan team will go to the 2023 R1AA meet as the defending ‘back-to-back champion’ after clinching the championship for two successive years in 2018 and 2019 held in Ilocos Sur and Alaminos City.

DepEd officials have expressed apprehension realizing that Dagupan’s participation in the 2023 R1AA is suddenly in doubt because of the continued delay in approving the annual city budget.

“Sa uniform, gagawa at gagawa ng paraan si mayor so the athletes can have something to wear for the R1AA meet,” Sim said.

The training equipment needed by Dagupan athletes in the division meet includes an array of equipment in archery, arnis and athletics, events that Dagupan athletes dominated in past regional meets.

So far, the members of the majority at the SP remain unperturbed by the dilemma of DepEd officials, teachers and students expecting to participate in 2023 R1AA. (Leonardo Micua)

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