By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Hundreds of athletes and coaches sought shelter at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the Philsports Complex on their way to Baguio City, Benguet for the 2018 Batang Pinoy National Championships.
The Philippine Sports Commission opened its doors to the participants from different parts of the country who were stranded as they made their way to the City of Pines for the weeklong multisports youth tournament.
Around 400 delegates from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao del Norte, Samar and Cotabato spent the night at the Rizal Memorial while more stayed at Philsports as super typhoon Ompong ravaged through Northern Luzon on Friday and Saturday.
They are expected to leave early Sunday in time for Monday’s tournament.
The PSC and the local government of Baguio City immediately responded by deploying coordinators in different billeting areas to ensure the safety of the delegates.
Organizers made sure there are enough food and water supply for the participants, and double-checked the security and safety of the housing areas.
Baguio City’s Mayor Atty Mauricio Domogan has also alerted police in their area to escort all delegations going up to the City of Pines. The highway patrol will be ready to escort vehicles transporting Batang Pinoy delegates once they reach Rosario junction in La Union.
Genesis Bus Line, a partner of the PSC for this Batang Pinoy event, are supportive to the PSC and Baguio City in its efforts to keep everyone safe and comfortable by providing transportation to delegations and personnel.
As a precaution, organizers also cancelled Saturday’s opening ceremonies and go straight to the competitions on Monday.
The PSC is also using different social media platforms to update delegates and their families of the different measures to make the tournament safe.