Palaro mobile app set for launch
The Department of Education Cebu City Division, together with a private partner, is set to unveil the Palarong Pambansa app on Friday, in its bid to integrate the power of information technology into the national sporting event and enhance the experience of participants and guests.
The Palarong Pambansa app will be available on both the Google Play Store for Android phones and the App Store for Apple products.
Assistant superintendent Adolf Aguilar said during a press conference on Tuesday that this app will provide a one-stop shop experience, containing all the information about the scheduled games and venues, as well as the assigned billeting quarters.
He also said that it will provide real-time updates on the medal tally, improving upon the previous delays in updating medal standings.
Previously, he said it would take a whole day to get an update of the initial medal tally and delegates’ placement in the rankings.
The app will not only update once the game is finished, but every point added to each athlete or team will be updated as the game progresses.
Additionally, he said that the app will offer live footage of ongoing games, allowing the loved ones of athletes to witness the events in real time.
John Pages, chairman of Cebu City Sports Commission, said that this will be the first time that all sporting events in all categories will be livestreamed in the history of Palarong Pambansa.
This was first done during the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association last May, which he said has garnered hundreds of thousands of views.
Anton Mari Perdices, president and chief operating officer of AboitizPower distribution utilities and the proponent of this app, said that it was an idea months ago that turned into reality for “family members of the athletes who were not able to make it to Cebu.”
He also said that as part of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he is also promoting tourism since the app provides information about the best places in Cebu City near the venues.
They added that its list of tourist attractions and places to visit will still be updated, but so far, those featured include Magellan’s Cross, Sirao Garden in Barangay Busay and the Temple of Leah on Cebu Transcentral Highway.
Also, all related published articles about Palarong Pambansa will be compiled and featured in the news section of the app.
Meanwhile, John Januszczak, chief executive officer of UBX, the developer of the app, expressed his gratitude to Perdices for collaborating with them on this technology project.
He said that this is part of their company’s mission, which is to make community members’ lives easier through technology and innovation.
This year’s games will be hosted by Cebu City for the first time in 30 years or since it hosted in 1994. The city also played host during the 1954 edition.
The event will take place from July 6 to July 17, with the opening ceremony scheduled for July 9 at the Cebu City Sports Center, where at least 12,000 participants are to gather.
Last week, it was announced that not only will the 17 regions be competing in the event, but the National Academy for Sports and Philippine schools from overseas will also be joining for the first time, raising the total number of delegations to 19.
The National Academy for Sports, a state-funded school in Tarlac City, allows student-athletes to focus intensively on sports.
Additionally, Filipino-accredited schools in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, which are part of the Philippine Schools Overseas, have formed teams to compete in both individual and team events this year.