written by: Jay Ar T. Taperla and Stephanie A. Limgas
Geared with the theme โ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ student athletes from 31 selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from the different cities and municipalities within the Regions I, II, III, and IV and National Capital Region (NCR) assembled at Marikina Polytechnic College as they march towards the Opening Ceremony of the first-ever Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Friendship Games held at Marikina Sports Complex, June 10.
With their facemasks on, over 1, 000 determined student athletes with their sports coach joined the jovial athlete parade, showcasing team support and camaraderie amidst the pandemic as they raise the banner that represents their city and municipality.
Delegates of the athletic event were from Caloocan, Las Piรฑas, Makati, Manila, Paraรฑaque, Pateros, Taguig, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Tarlac, Bocaue, Malolos, Batanggas, Lipa, and host Local Government Units (LGUs), Pasay, Quezon, and Marikina City who gave a spectacular opening ceremony.
In her welcoming speech, CHED Executive Director IV, Atty. Cinderella Filipina S. Benitez-Jaro said that the event aims to involve all the student athletes in revitalizing sports in the academe which was ceased by the pandemic.
โ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ซ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ Atty. Jaro said.
Meanwhile, Senator Christopher Lawrence โBongโ Go, Chairman of Committee on Sports and Health said that the current administration supports sporting events like this as they believe that engaging the youth to sports can keep them away from harmful vices such as dangerous drugs.
โ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐โฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,” Senator Go said.
On the other hand, CHED Chairperson Prof. J. Prospero E. De Vera, III emphasized that the CHED Friendship Games is also a way of celebrating the series of Higher Educationโs and the countryโs historical events that happened this year.
“๐ป๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐’๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โฆ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐
, ๐๐๐ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ซ, ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,” Prof. De Vera said.
Student Athletes then took their Oath of Sportsmanship led by Fran Yu of Colegio de San Juan de Letran followed by the lighting of the CHED Friendship Games torch spearheaded by the UAAP-Basketball Top Rookie Carl Vincent Tamayo, declaring the Tertiary Games officially open.
The CHED Friendship Games 2022 serves as a preview for the much-anticipated National Tertiary Games, attended by HEIs from NCR and other nearby provinces, with the goal of reviving and revitalizing academic sports in the country under the new normal.
With over eight sports events, the first-ever CHED Friendship Games is expected to run until July 2.