R1AA hauls 7 Golds, ranks 9th OverAll at Palaro 2012

 Lifting its 12th rank finish in the over-all ranking three steps higher and declared this time as top 9 seated team, Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) hauled 97.01 general championship points in this year’s edition of Philippines’s biggest sporting event Palarong Pambansa. Aimed at making Palaro 2012 the benchmark of the next editions to come, host province Pangasinan and Department of Education Region 1 convened a total of 6,520 athletes from various elementary and secondary schools across the Philippines who hurdled for gold and glory in 17 contested sports events during the staging of this seven-day sports spectacle.


Host Region 1 made a big splash as it proved for itself it can make it in higher ranks in the over-all ranking. In the elementary division, well-trained athletes who amassed 54.67 points placed R1AA in 6th place overthrowing its 13th rank in the elementary division last year. However, R1AA’s secondary division contenders who earned 42.34 points this time maintained its 11th spot ranking. Seven hard-earned golds were secured by R1AA athletes after enduring the stiff competition staged in various sporting events while 11 silver-finished events were recorded along with 16 bronze placements. General Championship results of Palaro 2012 declared the dominance of perennial victor National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA) with 733 total accumulated points.

 NCR’s closest mimesis in the chronicled history of Palarong Pambansa, WVRAA - Western Visayas Region Athletic Association (Region 6) earned 452 points for its 1st Runner-Up finish. Other athletic delegations of Palarong Pambansa were ranked as follows after the seven-day competition: 3rd Region IV-A Southern Tagalog – CALABARZON (335.5); 4th Region VII - Central Visayas (305.17); 5th Northern Mindanao - Region IX (170.5); 6th Central Luzon – Region III (157); 7th Cotabato - Region XII (125.17); 8th Region IV-B MIMAROPA (117.7); 9th Region 1 (97.01); 10th Davao – Region XI (96.50); 11th Cordillera Administrative Region (87.50); 12th Zamboanga Peninsula – Region IX (46.17); 13th Cagayan Valley – Region II (31.50); 14th Bicol – Region V (30.50); 15th Autonomous Region for Muslims in Mindanao (19); 16th CARAGA (14.17); and 17th Eastern Visayas – Region VIII (5.17). Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. is very elated to report that Pangasinan athletes shared three of the seven gold medals hauled by Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) at the penultimate day of Palarong Pambansa 2012. Pangasinan Chess player Samantha Glo Revita who was trained at the Governor Espino Chess Clinic, made a big leap forward for R1AA after winning straight 9 points in the board 1 game of girl’s chess elementary division.

 R1AA woodpushers grabbed the gold in team category (elementary girls division) while both secondary and elementary boys placed 4th in the team event final standings. Revita’s sterling performance in Palarong Pambansa 2012 is a clear manifestation of the province’s good track in honing chess players as the provincial government headed by Governor Amado T. Espino Jr. continues to prioritize sports development programs --- one of which is the annual hosting of Chess Championships in the province. Another Pangasinense gold medallist is Danilo Abarra of Alaminos City National High School who ruled the javelin throw secondary division with a distance record of 51.51 meters.