MANILA, Philippines - Parañaque City gets the chance to stage the National Capital Region Palaro next year, marking the first time that the progressive city will host the regional games since 1994.
“The last NCR Palaro in Parañaque was held way back in 1994 when my father, Dr. Pablo Olivarez, was mayor of the then municipality of Parañaque. But the city has since gone a long, long way although our love and support for sports remain steadfast,” said current Mayor Edwin Olivarez during the launch of the event at the Sinulog Room of the Blue Leaf along Macapagal Ave. at the ASEANA Business Park in Parañaque last Thursday.
Others who graced the event, where the official 2015 NCR Palarong Pangrehiyon logo, mascot and jingle were unveiled, were all the other mayors of Metro Manila as well as ranking officials of the Department of Education NCR.
“It is my personal honor to play host to the NCR Palaro in 2015 and the city government will guarantee a successful staging of the annual sports competition for our youth from all over Metro Manila,” said Olivarez, himself an accomplished sportsman, being a former national tennis player and a former NCAA junior and senior tennis champion. He is also currently the president of the Philippine Tennis Association.
Under Olivarez, Parañaque City has witnessed vast improvements in the delivery of basic social services and public infrastructure, making it an attractive destination for businesses and investments as well as a choice venue for entertainment, leisure, sports and tourism.
In fact, the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index 2014, a project of the National Competitiveness Council, the Department of Trade and Industry and USAID, has named Parañaque City as the country’s most economically dynamic city.