ZAMBOANGA CITY – Vice President and concurrent Department of Education Secretary Sara Duterte and Senator Francis Tolentino will grace the Mindanao regional games of the ongoing 2023 Philippine ROTC Games (PRG).
ROTC refers to Reserve Officers' Training Corps which is tasked to train and develop college students in the rudiments of military service in order to produce capable Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reservists.
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| Vice President Sara Duterte |
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| Senator Francis Tolentino |
Tolentino, who is the honorary chairman of PRG, said Duterte will be the event’s guest of honor and speaker during the opening here of the tournament’s Mindanao leg which will kick off from August 27 until September 2.
He stressed that Duterte's presence in the PRG is a big boost in raising awareness for the tournament, considering that she is the incumbent Education secretary and an active colonel in the military reserve force herself.
The upcoming Mindanao leg of the PRG comes a week after the successful hosting of the inaugural regional tournament in Iloilo City, which featured cadet athletes from various provinces in the Visayas in different sports such as track and field, basketball, kickboxing, boxing, arnis, and volleyball.
Tolentino added that the lessons learned in the tournament in Iloilo City will serve as a guide and benchmark for the organizers in the upcoming tournaments.
The Mindanao regional games will be followed by the Luzon leg, which will be held in Tagaytay City from September 17 until 23. The cities of Manila and Pasig will host the National Capital Region leg from October 8 to 14 as well as the National Championships from October 22 to 27.
The senator also lauded the successful hosting of the first regional leg of the PRG Games in the Visayas region. The Visayas leg of the tournament featured cadet athletes from various ROTC units from different colleges and universities in Regions 6, 7, and 8 and showcased their skills in different sports such as track and field, basketball, kickboxing, boxing, arnis, and volleyball.
Tolentino, who is the brainchild of the tournament, hailed the leadership of the Commission on Higher Education, as well as the AFP and the Philippine Sports Commission, for making the sports tournament possible. He, together with Senator Robin Padilla, graced the PRG's closing rites in Iloilo. Padilla, an advocate of the mandatory implementation of the ROTC program, promised to raise public awareness of the importance of having a strong military reserve force.
The PRG spearheaded by Tolentino aims to promote the ROTC by specifically encouraging the development of grassroots sports programs; training young athletes for international competitions; promoting physical education; and fostering self-discipline, teamwork and excellence. It involves the ROTC units of the main AFP service branches - the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. (Mindanao Examiner)
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