Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, July 17, that he assured Department of Education that armed skirmishes between government soldiers and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental would not affect the province’s hosting of the 2024 Palarong Pambansa.
Lacson led the presentation of Negros Occidental’s bid to host the 2024 games before the Palarong Pambansa Board at the DepEd Central Office on Friday.
The security issue was raised because of reports of encounters between government forces and the NPA in Negros, he said.
Lacson said he assured the board that the armed skirmishes were happening far away from the venues of the games, and that the Philippine Army and police will secure all of the athletes.
He also told them that there were skirmishes because the government is very aggressive in its End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) drive.
“ELCAC will not stop because we are making a bid to host the Palarong Pambansa”, he said.
Vice President Sara Duterte will announce who won the bid to host the 2024 games at the closing ceremonies of the 2023 Palarong Pambansa in Marikina on August 5, he reiterated.
Cebu City and Antique have also entered bids to host the Palarong Pambansa 2024.*