Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri and Negrense Philippine Sports commissioner Ricardo Garcia are keynoting the opening ceremony of the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet at the Binirayan Sports Complex in San Jose, Antique, today.

Zubiri and Garcia are gracing the kick off rites along with Antique Gov. Salvacion Perez and director Victoriano Tirol of the Department of Education in Western Visayas.

Six provinces --- defending champion Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz and Guimaras --- are seeing action in the March 13-17 multi-event meet that determines the Region 6 representatives in the Palarong Pambansa next month in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The Negros delegation is billeted in the nearby town of Sibalom Elementary School, about 12 kilometers away from the main venue, Binirayan. Its main rival, Iloilo, is staying at the Antique National School, a five-minute motorcycle ride from the Binirayan.

Rolando Asue, a member of the records committee, has expressed satisfaction on the hosting, saying Sibalom town officials are making sure the athletes, coaches and officials are secured and have ample supply of basic needs, like water.

The Negrenses are defending champions in both the elementary and secondary divisions.

With the games held in Bacolod, Negros Occidental proved too strong for perennial rival Iloilo, captured the high school title with 465 points under the Department of Education’s scoring system that gives 25 points for ballgame titles, 30 for each athletics and swimming crown and 15 for winners in minor events like badminton, table tennis and lawn tennis.

The Negrenses topped boys and girls’ volleyball, basketball, sepak takraw, baseball, softball, boys’ athletics, boys and girls’ swimming, lawn tennis, badminton, gymnastics, girls’ table tennis, boys’ taekwondo and boxing last year.

The Negrenses will also defend their elementary swimming, athletics, baseball, badminton, softball and taekwondo titles.

Antique has proven to be a good venue for the Negrenses, who also brought home the elementary and secondary titles when the games were held there in 2004. *CPT

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