#TalkThursday: Palarong Pambansa back in the spotlight

MANILA, Philippines – For the May 3 edition of #TalkThursday, Natashya Gutierrez will talk to Department of Education Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali, who is also the designated Secretary-General of Palarong Pambansa, the annual nationwide sporting event that gathers the best elementary and high school student-athletes.

They will talk about the games and the development of sports in the country.

You can watch the live broadcast of #TalkThursday on the front page of Rappler.com and join the discussion via our social media platforms on Twitter and Facebook.

Umali is also the Officer-in-Charge of the after school sports program of DepEd. This is the second year that Umali is Secretary-General of Palarong Pambansa and he is aiming to make it even better than last year’s.

This year, DepEd is working towards a clean and green Palaro. In an effort to make the event more environmentally-friendly, the Department will rid of plastic and styrofoam in the preparation of food. DepEd will also work to make the games cleaner or more fair, by implementing strict game officiating and athlete screening.

The nation’s largest sports competition will be held in Lingayen, Pangasinan from May 6-12. DepEd is spending an estimated P136.5-M on the games, while about 10,000 students, coaches and sports officials from the 17 different regions are expected to attend.

Rappler is the official online media partner of Palarong Pambansa. – Rappler.com