The city government here is gearing up for the staging of the Philippine Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Games 2024 Visayas Regional Qualifying Leg on May 26 to June 1, an event seen to boost the position of Bacolod as a sports tourism destination.

On Monday, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Maj. Gen. Elpidio Talja, commander of the Philippine Air Force Reserve Command, led the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) in a ceremony held at Bacolod City Government Center in the presence of Senator Francis Tolentino, honorary chairperson of the Games’ Executive Organizing Committee.

“Bacolod is very pleased and happy to be the host for this year’s ROTC Games. We look forward to such a momentous occasion to be held in Bacolod. This would be good, significant for us, moving forward in terms of sports activities, and will also add to our tourism events,” Benitez said.

Talja thanked the city government for agreeing to host the Visayas Regional Qualifying Leg.

“I’m grateful to the local government unit of Bacolod. We are really looking forward to a very successful conduct of the ROTC Games,” he said.

Tolentino acknowledged the hospitality of Bacolod, whom he considers “one of the friendliest cities in the Philippines” in preparing for the Visayas Regional Qualifying Leg.

The sports event expects to gather in the city more than 3,000 participants from Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas.

“Bacolod City is where the heartbeat of culture and the rhythm of sports converge. We intend to exemplify that through the ROTC Games Visayas Leg. Our deepest gratitude to Mayor Benitez, the entire city government, and the people of Bacolod,” he added.

Tolentino said the second edition of the ROTC Games will have more competitions, among these the events added by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), such as basketball 5×5, volleyball, and raiders competition.

“The entire technical team of the PSC will be here, including the international referees,” he added.

Student-athletes will compete in arnis, athletics, boxing, chess, e-sports, sepak takraw, taekwondo, table tennis, volleyball, basketball, target shooting, raiders competition, swimming, and the search for Miss ROTC.

“The ROTC Games aims to showcase not just the sportsmanship and the athletic skills of the youth and to highlight ROTC not just as a military training avenue for cadets, but also as a pathway to patriotism. We would want in the near future to have national athletes coming from the ROTC Games,” Tolentino said.

CHED-Western Visayas Regional Director Raul Alvarez and Carlos Hilado Memorial State University President Norberto Mangulabnan witnessed the MOA signing.

The ROTC Games 2024 is themed “Husay ng ROTC, Husay ng Kabataan.” (PNA)