Uswag rep vows sports facility project for WVRAA 2026 champion

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The overall champion of the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet 2026 will receive a sports facility project, Uswag Party-list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. announced during the opening ceremony on March 17.

“We will provide the overall champion with a sports facility they can truly use,” Ang said in an interview on the sidelines of the event at the Ricardo P. Palmares Sr. Memorial Sports Complex.

The weeklong WVRAA Meet, hosted by Passi City for the first time, gathers about 7,000 delegates, including student-athletes, coaches, chaperones, and technical officials.

The WVRAA Meet is the largest annual school sports competition in Western Visayas, serving as the regional qualifying stage for the Palarong Pambansa, the national multi-sport event for student-athletes organized by the Department of Education.

Participating delegations come from five provincial school divisions — Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Capiz — and three city school divisions competing independently for the first time: Passi City, Iloilo City, and Roxas City.

The elementary division features 16 events, including girls’ futsal.

The secondary division has 25 events, including girls’ football and weightlifting for both boys and girls.

During the opening ceremony, Ang also committed to expanding sports infrastructure in Passi City, including plans for an Olympic-size swimming pool and a natural grass football field.

“The development of a football field with natural grass and an Olympic-size swimming pool is something we will work on. Spending on sports facilities is not an expense—it is an investment,” he said, echoing Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares.

At present, football and swimming events are held outside Passi City due to limited facilities.

In 2024, through the efforts of the Uswag Ilonggo Party-list and Iloilo 4th District Rep. Ferjenel Biron, PHP 80 million was allocated to upgrade the city’s sports complex.

The upgrades included the construction of a 400-meter rubberized track oval, improvements to the grandstand, and the installation of a perimeter fence.

The facility, originally built in 2018, is now the first outside Iloilo City to feature a rubberized track oval.

Ang said the initiative is part of a broader effort to establish sports complexes in every district and reduce the need for athletes to travel far for training.