BAGUIO CITY – Majority of the Baguio City delegation to the 2018 Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) meet are now off to Abra province, where the sporting competitions will take place on February 4-9.
Meanwhile, Abra Gov. Jocelyn Valera Bernos has declared the suspension of classes in all levels in both private and public schools in the province on Feb. 5-9 for the duration of the province's much-awaited sporting event.
Baguio City information office chief Aileen Refuerzo said Friday the Baguio delegates, composed of 805 athletes and city officials, were sent off by Mayor Mauricio Domogan Thursday afternoon for the weeklong sporting event.
Refuerzo said the City of Pines' mayor had advised his city's delegation to do their best in their events and at the same time be vigilant about their own safety.
She said the delegates were accompanied by 17 policemen from the Baguio City Police, who will serve as their escorts, providing 24-hour security while they are in Abra.
Abra is hosting CARAA for the first time in 20 years. The holding of the sporting event in the province was jeopardized by an explosion incident in La Paz town during the town's fiesta in January, which killed two people and injured several others, including Abra Rep. Joseph Bernos and his wife, La Paz town mayor Menchie Bernos.
But the CARAA board has decided to push through with the event, assured by the provincial government that it is setting ample security measures for the athletes and the general public.
At the same time, parents of University of Baguio students, who are joining the sporting event, have given their consent for their children to attend the competition in Abra, while the university has assured that the students will be excused from their classes for the period of the annual event.
Refuerzo said most parents "had a change of heart and assured of their children’s attendance in the meet."
UB’s athletes were among the medal hopes of Baguio, especially in the fields of arnis, taekwondo, swimming, and archery. (PNA)
