Negros Occidental's bid to host the 2013 Palarong Pambansa can face a tough challenge from Cebu after Mayor Michael Rama of Cebu City expressed interest in joining the bidding to host the games next year.

Cebu hosted the 2012 Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) national finals a week ago and during the opening ceremony, Rama said they may bid for the Palaro hosting.

Citing the manpower and facilities available in Cebu, PRISAA projects director Bernard Ricablanca said it is about time the city host the Palarong Pambansa after hosting it in 1994.

”It is high time that we hosted the Palarong Pambansa again. It is long overdue. I guess we have proven that we are capable to host. I mean, we have hosted the Palaro before and we can host it again and the next time, it will be better,” Ricablanca said in a report from the wires.

To host the PRISAA national championship, Cebu spent P26 million to repair the oval and restore the rubberized track at the Cebu City Sports Complex that was built in 1994.

Earlier, Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said they are joining forces in pushing for the Palarong Pambansa to be held in Bacolod next year.

Marañon said the existing facilities at the Panaad and the Paglaum Sports Complex give Negros an advantage against the other bidders, including Cebu .

The successful staging of the 2012 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet at the Panaad in March, was a validation of the province's capability of hosting a multi-event competition, he said. Negros Occidental also hosted the 2011 POC-PSC National Games and the first home game of the national men's football team Azkals in Panaad, February 2011.

Marañon told members of the press that he prefers to adopt a low-key position as far as lobbying for hosting the 2013 Palarong Pambansa is concerned, although he is confident of Negros Occ. winning the bid.

Aside from the facilities at the Panaad Park and Stadium, the governor cited the ongoing work at the Paglaum Sports Complex.

He said the ongoing construction of the Provincial Cyber Center at the site will complement the plans of developing the football field and the volleyball and basketball courts at the sports complex.

Should Negros Occ. win the bid, it will be the fourth time for the national games to be held in the province, first in 1979 at the Paglaum Sports Complex, at the newly constructed Panaad Park and Stadium in 1998 and the Centennial Palaro in 2000.*NAB

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