SCUAA Olympics ready to fire off in Isabela

The 2011 State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) National Olympics will officially blast off on Monday, Feb. 21, at the sprawling Melanio Singson Sports Complex in Ilagan, Isabela. Close to 5,000 athletes and officials from 109 state universities and colleges in 16 regions all over the country are expected to take part in the week-long competition supervised by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) and hosted by the provincial government of Ilagan, Isabela. Isabela Gov. Faustino “Bogie" Dy III will formally welcome the participants who will compete in 14 sporting events — athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, chess, dancesport, football, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis and volleyball. In addition, the Search for the Miss SCUAA 2011 will also be held to detemrine the country’s representative to the coming Miss University World in Seoul, South Korea. “The 2011 SCUAA National Olympics provides an opportunity for the tertiary students to participate in sports competition and will enable the outstanding athletes to show their skills and talents and someday represent the country in international sports competitions," said PASUC president Dr. Lauro B. Tacbas. Dr. Roger Perez, president of the Cagayan State University-Tuguegarao City and secretary-general of the 2011 SCUAA National Olytmpics, and Dr. Romeo R. Quilang, president of the host Isabela State University and PASUC vice-president for Luzon, are optimistic about the success of this friendly competition. The opening ceremony is scheduled at 8 a.m. on Monday while the fellowship night with fireworks display sponsored by Gov. Dy will take place at the Guest House starting at 6 p.m. Hostilities kick off the following day, Feb. 22 starting at 7 a.m. The Search for the Miss National SCUAA will be held at the FLDY Colisuem in Cauayan beginning 6 p.m. Fellowship nights hosted by Vice Gov. Rodito Albano, Ilagan Mayor Jay Diaz and Cauayan Mayor Ben Dy will also be held from Feb. 23 to 25. The participating regions are National Capital Region. Cordillera, Ilocos,Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga/ARMM, Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, Central Mindanao and CARAGA. - KY, RCJ, GMA News