Western Visayas won nine titles – five in elementary and four in the secondary competition – to place second overall behind the National Capital Region as 2008 Palarong Pambansa ended Saturday in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Region six retained the high school girls and elementary boys and girls’ athletics crowns as well as the secondary boys’ football and elementary and secondary girls’ softball plums and the girls’ tennis titles in both divisions to duplicate its first runner-up finish in Koronadal, South Cotabato last year. Negrense ace tennis player Martina Guba won 8-3 over her rival from Region 4-B for individual singles title in secondary girls.

Bringing home more honors for WV is athletics’ Vienna Mae Banebane who emerged the most outstanding athlete in her division with 27 points while NCR’s high school runner Isidro del Prado Jr., son of former SEA Games record holder, Isidro Sr., topped the boys’ group with 26 points.

Banebane won three individual gold medals – 200m, 400m and 400m hurdles – a gold in 4x400m relay and silver in 4x100 while Del Prado won the 400m and 800 m gold as well as the two relays and a silver in 200m.

NCR retained overall honors with an accumulated 638 points, 263 in the elementary competition and 375 in the secondary competition, to foil the threat of perennial rival WV which finished with 428.17 points, and Calabarzon, 409.17.

The NCR delegation relied on its top finishes in 13 secondary events and eight in the elementary level to overwhelm the opposition via the point system that gave team champions as much as 30 or 25 points or 10 to 15 points for those played as individual events.

The NCR secondary teams’ triumphs came in boys and girls’ swimming, boys’ athletics -- where it is the defending champion -- boys’ basketball and girls’ volleyball as well as boys and girls’ archery, girls’ badminton, both divisions of chess, women’s artistic and rhythmic gymnastics and boys’ taekwondo.

Host MIMAROPA finished ninth overall with its solitary title earned by its high school sepak takraw team, which clinched its third consecutive title. The hosts also shared second-place honors in Arnis with Cotabato.

In the elementary level, the Big City squads topped the boys’ swimming competition -- but finished second to Calabarzon in the girls’ group – boys’ volleyball, baseball, girls’ badminton, girls’ chess, girls’ table tennis, and women’s artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.

Overall second runner-up Calabarzon grabbed eight titles, four in each division. In addition to elementary girls’ swimming, the contingent won in elementary boys’ badminton, boys’ chess,  men’s gymnastics, secondary boys’ badminton, men’s gymnastics, boys’ and girls’ table tennis.

Trailing the Top three delegations was Central Visayas with 266.17 points with Central Luzon finishing fifth with 157.1 points.

At the closing ceremony, Mayor Edward Hagedorn thanked the Department of Education for bringing the games to the city for the first time, acknowledged the officiating officials and athletes and coaches for their efforts to excel and waxed sentimental when he quoted a line from a Karen Carpenter song as he pointed out that it is rather lamentable that good things, not bad ones, come to an end, adding: “The trouble with hello is goodbye.”

In the elementary level, NCR sprinter Maureen Emily Schrijvers, who won four gold medals -- in 100m, 200m and the two relays -- emerged the top athlete, compiling 26 points, along with Jacob Niel Estinor of Bicol with19 points. 

Schrijvers topped the century dash and 200m as well as the elementary girls’ high jump and a silver in 4x100 while Estinor was gold medalist in 110m and 400m  hurdles and second placer in 400m.* Palaro Media Center

Overall Summary of Points: 1. NCR (638 points) 2. Western Visayas (428.17) 3. Calabarzon (410.17) 4. Central Visayas (267.17) 5. Central Luzon (155.61) 6. Cotabato (103.5) 7. Davao (102.5) 8. Northern Mindanao (87.90) 9.  Mimaropa (77.5) 10. Cordillera (61.5) 11. Ilocos (57) 12. Bicol (41.5) 13. Zamboanga Peninsula (24) 14. ARMM (25) 15. Eastern Visayas (20) 16. Cagayan Valley (12.5) 17. Caraga (12.34)

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