Preparations are underway for the hosting of the biggest inter-collegiate athletic competition in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental this year, after Silliman University formally entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Unigames Corporation for the hosting of the 15th Unigames in October.{{more}}
The games, to be held from October 22 to 31, is timed for the semestral break. It will be a back-to-back activity with the Buglasan Festival, Negros Oriental’s festival of festivals.
3000 athletes from 72 colleges and universities across the country are expected to see action in this event, which promises to be as action-filled as it is a tourism activity for the City and Province.
“If these athletes will spend P200 each every day, times the number of days they will be here, think of how much that would bring in to Dumaguete and Negros Oriental,” said Roger Banzuela, president of the Unigames Corporation.
This will be the fourth time that the games will be held in Dumaguete. The first three times were hosted by Foundation University in 2000, 2002 and in 2008, with the active participation of the other colleges and universities in Dumaguete City and local government units of Negros Oriental.
“Silliman is signing the MOA in a sense of being the focal point of all other schools in the city and nearby, who would be together with us in the hosting of the games,” said Dr. Ben Malayang III, SU president, adding that in the end, it will be the community that will support the games.
Malayang said that after the signing of the MOA, they will have to iron out details with their colleagues in the city and the province. He said the cooperation of everyone is important, because the goal is to mainstream sports and athletics as part of the cultural upliftment of Negrenses.
Malayang said that in order to host the Unigames, the University had to rethink its resource allocations within the university including their facilities and support for athletes.
Banzuela, for his part, expressed optimism that some outstanding athletes in the Unigames may have a chance to join the big league. “There are people who will be watching the games to recruit and pirate players,” Banzuela said.
We offered the hosting to Silliman because SU is an original member of our group since 1996, and hosting the Unigames is also a good way of promoting the school, Banzuela said.
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