‘Palaro’ operations center opens in Tarlac

TARLAC CITY, Nov. 26 (PNA) -- The operations center for the 2010 Palarong Pambansa is now operational.

Located at the Department of Education [DepEd] provincial division office along Macabulos Drive, San Roque here, the operations center will be the focal point for the pre-Palaro activities which started last month and will end on April next year.

The Palarong Pambansa will be held on April 11 to 17, 2010.

Provincial sports consultant and former DepEd Physical Education director Rolando Brillantes said the operations center will house the Palaro secretariat, the promotions, marketing and special events committee and other Palaro clusters.

“From now on, meetings and other activities pertaining to the 2010 Palarong Pambansa will now be held here,” Brillantes said.

DepEd Region III Director Mario Ramirez said the preparation for the hosting of Tarlac of the biggest sports spectacle in the country is “on the right tract.”

“Except for minor kinks, the preparation is going on smoothly,” Ramirez said.

The seven committees are the ceremonial/social and cultural; billeting and technical support that are supervised directly by the DepEd and the logistics and other services; publicity, marketing and special events; civic participation and infrastructure and engineering under the provincial government of Tarlac.

Meanwhile, Governor Victor Yap has appointed former Philippine Basketball Association player Macky Escalona, a native of Tarlac, to be the official spokesperson for the 2010 Palarong Pambansa.

Escalona, a former Ateneo de Manila University and Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings star player, said that he is much honored to be part of the Palarong Pambansa.