PASIG CITY, Philippines —The Philippine Government through the Department of Education National Capital Region (DepEd-NCR) is set to host the sixth ASEAN Schools Games (ASG) alongside the City Government of Marikina from November 29 to December 7, 2014.
The ASG is an annual competition of various school sports among the neighboring regions of Southeast Asia. Apart from providing the youth with opportunities to benchmark their sporting talents, DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC says that the ASG promotes solidarity and fosters cultural exchange among the youth of ASEAN country-members.
“Competitive sports are informal learning experiences for the youth; they hone the values of precision, discipline, and fairness. So while students are showcasing their talents in sports, the ASG also presents an opportunity to gather the youth for the purpose of personal development and life skills enrichment through collective wisdom and experiences,” Luistro said.
The education chief is also the honorary chairman of the 6th ASG Governing Board tasked to provide direction in planning, organizing and implementing the hosting of the ASG. Other public offices in the Governing Board include the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the first and second districts of Marikina City.
“We want a Governing Board that will not only organize working committees and provide general supervision in the conduct of games, but will also be able to offer technical inputs to ensure the smooth flow of the activities, the safety of the students and the integrity of the ASG,” said Luistro.
Athletics, swimming, badminton, golf, tennis, sepak takraw, gymnastics, table tennis, basketball, volleyball and wushu are the 11 sports to be played in the ASG. The Philippine delegation will be composed of student-athletes from both public and private schools, as selected by a separate selection committee.
