NegOcc places second as WVRAA meet ends

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson praised the successful hosting of the Western Visayas Regional Athletics Association (WVRAA) meet in the province.

Governor Lacson, speaking with reporters on Tuesday, relayed that all feedback concerning the WVRAA meet and the opening program was positive.

“It’s very heartwarming to hear these comments. I don’t mind hearing negative feedback because that will help us improve in the future. Those who approached me said very good things about the opening program. I think in general, we successfully hosted the WVRAA 2024,” Lacson said.

He expressed satisfaction with the event’s success, saying, “I am happy to know they are happy.”

The WVRAA meet, which began on May 2, concluded on May 7, with Negros Occidental finishing second to Iloilo, which dominated both the elementary and secondary levels.

Lacson praised the province’s athletes, “especially those who won gold and will qualify for the National Palaro. I am just hoping that our athletes in the National Palaro from Negros Occidental will be able to contribute gold to the region. After the competition these past five days, we are now one team, Region 6.”

Looking forward to future competitions, he said, “I am confident that looking at the winners from other provinces in Region 6, we can see that they can really compete at the national level.”

Lacson revealed that Iloilo had conducted their provincial meet in February, giving them 45 days to train, whereas Negros had only a two-week gap between their provincial and regional meets.

“Then you can see that we were not as ready as Iloilo was,” he added.

He emphasized the lesson learned from this experience: “That is a lesson learned, that we should finish our provincial meet early.”

He also noted that, unlike Iloilo, Negros Occidental did not hire experts for their athletes, which he believes made a significant difference in preparation for the regional meet.