Region I

City of San Fernando, La Union

Telefax No. (072) 607-81-26

THE 2017 REGIONAL PALARO RULES AND GUIDELINES

PREAMBLE

WE, the stakeholders, in order to facilitate the integration of physical

education and school sports in basic education for the holistic development of the
youth in Region 1, through the conduct of the Regional Athletics Association Meet,
do hereby adopt these policies and guidelines.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The 2017 Regional Palaro shall be hosted by the Schools Division Office of
Ilocos Sur, headed by Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Jorge M. Reinante
together with his personnel, the various public and private schools in Ilocos Sur,
and in partnership with the Province of Ilocos Sur under the leadership of Governor
Ryan Luis Singson, and the various local government units in Ilocos Sur.

The Regional Palaro’s Solidarity Meeting shall be held on March 2, 2017 and
the Opening Ceremony shall be held on March 4, 2017 in the afternoon.

The Regional Palaro Proper shall be held from March 3, 2017 to March 9,
2017.

RULES AND GUIDELINES IN THE CONDUCT

OF THE REGIONAL ATHLETIC MEET

I. Duties of the Host Division

It shall be the duties of the Host Division, in coordination with the Provincial
Government of Ilocos Sur and its other local government units, with the Department
of Interior Local Government Regional Office 1 and its sub-offices, and with the
various public and private schools within its jurisdiction, to:

a. Ensure that the playing venues and the billeting areas are compliant with
the minimum standards set forth by the Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) and R.A. 10588 also known as the Palarong Pambansa
Act;

b. Ensure the safety of the playing venues and the billeting areas;

c. Ensure that medical/dental assistance is accessible at all times in the

playing venues and in the billeting areas;

d. Ensure that the billeting areas do not pose any risk or danger to the health
of or to the persons of the athletes, coaches, chaperones, and other
delegates or personnel billeted in them;

e. Ensure that supplies and equipment in all sports events are available at
all times;

f. Such other duties incidental to its function as host.

II. Duties of Athletes, Coaches, and Chaperones

It shall be the duty of the athletes, coaches, and chaperones to observe

decorum at all times during the conduct of the Regional Palaro. The athletes,
coaches, and chaperones are expected to conduct themselves as true sportsmen all
throughout the Regional Palaro.
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 III. Duties of the Regional Palaro Officials

The various Regional Palaro Officials are expected to be fair, well-abreast with
the technical rules of the sport in which they were assigned, committed, diligent,
professional in his or her dealings, responsible, independent, and has integrity.

IV. Duties of the Head of Delegation

The heads of the various delegations shall have the following duties:

a. Ensure that all delegates, particularly athletes, are accounted for

before, during, and after the Regional Palaro;

b. Ensure that their participants to the special games are given the due
and proper attention at all times;

c. Ensure that their delegates are well-informed of the rules of the Palaro;

d. Such other duties incidental to his or her function as head of

delegation.

V. Special Provisions Against Child Abuse and Bullying

The conduct of the Regional Palaro is an official DepEd activity and as such,
pertinent provisions of the Child Protection Policy (DepEd Order No. 40, s. of 2012),
The Anti-Bullying Act (Republic Act No. 10627), and all other laws protecting the
rights of the learners shall be strictly observed before, during, and after the Regional
Palaro. Thus:

a. Coaches, chaperones, and technical officials are prohibited from

using abusive language in communicating with the athletes. The
utterance of foul language in the presence of the athletes is strictly
prohibited;

b. Coaches, chaperones, and technical officials are not allowed to use

any physically abusive approach in their dealings with the athletes;

c. Any act of physical, sexual, and psychological violence by any coach,

chaperone, or technical official, shall be treated in an administrative
case pursuant to DepEd Order No. 49, series of 2006 or the Revised
Rules of Procedure in Administrative Cases of the Department of
Education, without prejudice to the victim’s right to pursue any
criminal or civil case against the perpetrator;

d. Athletes are prohibited from doing any and all forms of bullying
against other athletes. No derogatory language, written or oral, should
be hurled by one athlete to another and no physical harm should be
inflicted by one athlete to another. In particular, the following acts of
bullying are prohibited:

i. Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the

victim like punching, pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping,
tickling, headlocks, inflicting harmful pranks, teasing,
fighting and the use of available objects as weapons;

ii. Any act that causes damage to a victim’s psyche and/or

emotional well-being;

iii. Any slanderous statement or accusation that causes the

victim undue emotional distress like directing foul language
or profanity at the target, name-calling, tormenting and
commenting negatively on victim’s looks, clothes and body;
and
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 iv. Cyber-bullying or any bullying done through the use of
technology or any electronic means.

e. Any instance of child abuse or bullying should be immediately

reported to the legal unit representative who shall immediately
conduct an investigation the result of which shall be submitted
through an incident report to the Regional Office for appropriate action
and to the appropriate R1AA Division for proper sanction under these
Rules and Guidelines;

f. In any case, the athlete-victim shall be attended to by any available

guidance counselor or guidance designate for processing. For this
purpose, the Host Division shall ensure that a guidance counselor or
designate shall always be available on call. In extreme cases, the
assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, or
even the local police, shall be sought;

g. In case of bullying, the welfare of the alleged bully must also be

protected;

h. All other provisions of the Child Protection Policy are hereby

incorporated herein.

VI. Other Prohibited Acts

Other than those specified in the immediately preceding number, the

following are strictly prohibited in the playing venues and in the billeting areas:

a. Gambling;
b. Drinking alcohol;
c. Smoking;
d. Use of illegal drugs;
e. Use of performance enhancing drugs;
f. The use of disposable plastic or polystyrene (styrofoam/styropor) for
food;
g. Littering;
h. Wearing of inappropriate uniform. For this purpose, the wearing of
sandos, slippers, sandals, and/or short pants, except when
appropriate, shall be prohibited; and
i. Such other acts that may compromise the Regional Palaro and the
safety of the participants or spectators.

VII. Screening and Accreditation of Athletes

A. Pursuant to the IRR, below are the eligibility requirements for athletes:

a. Regular sporting events:

1. Must be a Filipino citizen;

2. Must be a participant in the Division meet;

3. Enrolled in a recognized school (schools with

recognition/permit to operate) at the beginning of the
current school year and is currently enrolled;

4. For elementary level athletes, must be born in 2004

or later; secondary level athletes, must be born in
1999 or later;

5. Transferees from other regions are allowed to

compete provided that their transfer was done before
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 or at the beginning of the school year. Transferees
from other divisions are allowed to compete provided
they have participated in the lower meets.

b. Special games:

1. Must be a Filipino citizen;

2. Enrolled in Special Education (SPED) classes in public

or private school (in-school athletes); and,

3. Suffering from restriction or different abilities, as a result

of a mental (has Intellectual Disability), physical
(Orthopedically Handicapped – leg amputee), or sensory
impairment (Visually Impaired), to perform an activity in
the manner or within the range considered normal for a
human being.

Unlike in the regular sporting events, special games

participants are categorized by two age brackets, namely, fifteen (15)
years and below, and sixteen (16) to twenty-five (25) years old.

B. Pursuant to the IRR, below are the grounds for the disqualification of
athletes:

a. Regular sporting events:

1. Athletes who have been declared over-age;

2. Elementary level athletes with 3rd molar tooth;

3. Athletes with failing grades in more than two (2) learning

areas in the second grading period;

4. Athletes who become, have been, or are currently

members of the National Team, National Training Pool,
National Development Pool and who received or receiving
monthly stipend and/or allowance from the Philippine
Sports Commission (PSC) or played in the SEA Games,
Asian Youth Games, Asian Games and/or Olympic
Games in the sports discipline where they are/were
members of;

5. Athletes who played in the SEA Games, Asian Youth

Games, Asian Games and/or Olympic Games;

6. Athletes who failed to submit the required documents;

7. Athletes banned during the previous National, Regional

or Division Palaro and who have not yet finished serving
their suspension/ban; and,

8. Other grounds such as, but not limited to, falsification of

documents, misrepresentation, and the use of prohibited
drugs.

b. Special games:

1. Athletes who were declared over-age; and,

2. Athletes who failed to submit the required documents.

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C. Documentary Requirements

a. Regular sporting events:

1. The Athlete’s Record (AR), signed by the athlete, coach, and

authorized Division Sports Supervisor/Coordinator;

2. One (1) certified true copy of a PSA-issued birth certificate

and one (1) photocopy thereof. Athletes whose birth were
registered late may be accredited provided their birth
certificate was either approved or issued one (1) year prior
to the scheduled National Palaro, Provided, late registered
athletes whose birth certificates were approved or issued
more than one (1) year prior to the scheduled National
Palaro but within one (1) year prior to the scheduled
Regional Palaro may still be allowed to play in the Regional
Palaro but with the understanding that his or her name will
never be added to the master list to be submitted to the
National Screening and Accreditation Committee (NSAC) in
the event he or she wins in the game he or she will
participate in;

In case of foreign-born athletes, original birth certificate

issued by the country where he was born and a valid
passport or a document issued by the Bureau of
Immigration or Department of Foreign Affairs showing his or
her nationality as Filipino;

3. Form-137 with entries of Learner Reference Number (LRN),

certified true copy from original or computer printed, duly
signed by Teacher-Adviser or Registrar or Principal or
School Heads, and by the authorized Division Sports
Supervisor, or PESS Coordinator, or Education Program
Supervisor in charge of sports;

For athletes who are enrolled under the alternative delivery

mode (home study program or modified in-school-out-school
approach or open high school program), a copy of the
numerical or descriptive rating equivalent to the second
grading period of the regular classes shall be submitted;

4. Certificate of enrollment duly signed by the school registrar

or school head;

5. Parent’s or Guardian’s consent, verified by the principal or

school head.

If both parents are deceased or absent, the guardian must

execute an affidavit of guardianship duly verified by the
coach and the teacher of the ward.

If both parents are abroad, their consent must be obtained

as far as practicable. Otherwise, the parents shall execute a
special power of attorney (SPA) in favor of and allowing the
guardian to sign the consent form.

6. Medical certificate issued within three months from the date

of submission and signed by a physician stating that the
athlete is physically fit and within the age limit required. The
complete name of the signing physician shall clearly appear
on the medical certificate with the license number and date
of examination);
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 7. Dental certificate with a universal entry, duly signed by a
dentist over his/her clearly printed name and license
number, and with the date of examination which should not
be more than six (6) months prior to date of the opening of
each level of competition;

8. Four (4) copies of 1 ½ x 1 ½, identical and clear pictures,

with white background, with name tag (surname, first name,
and middle initial) and with grade or year level, to be used
for the AR, Dental Certificate, Gallery and Accreditation
Card;

9. For athletes competing in boxing, they shall submit their

medical history and their red book;

10. Commitment letter which would state that should he/she be

declared as the winning athlete, he/she shall participate in
the National Palaro and that failure to participate shall
result in his/or her ineligibility to play in the subsequent
Regional Palaro.

All documents must be in A4 size.

b. Special games:

In addition to the documentary requirements listed in the

immediately preceding number, the following shall be required
for special athletes:

1. Intellectual Disability Certification – Psycho-Educational

Assessment Tests conducted and certified by a psychologist
or a DepEd SPED Supervisor indicating the athlete’s IQ level
as 70 or below; and

2. Visual Impairment Certification – test conducted and

certified by an ophthalmologist to determine the visual
acuity of the athlete (totally blind or low vision – B1, B2, B3).

In reviewing the athlete’s Form 137, the RSAC must take note
of the subjects/skills that are supposed to be included in the
competencies for learners with Intellectual Disability.

D. Procedure on Protests and Appeals

a. Protests on Eligibility, Appeals on Disqualification, and other

relevant complaints shall be filed within five (5) days from the date of
the posting of the master list on DepEd Regional Office 1’s webpage
with the DepEd website at http://www.deped.gov.ph/regions/region-
1/main or at DepEd Region 1’s Official Facebook Page or on the 2017
R1AA website at http://2017riaa.tk/;

b. All protests, appeals, and complaints must be in writing duly signed

by the coach and the head of delegation;

c. All protests, appeals, and complaints must be duly supported by

attached documentary evidence which includes, but not limited to,
affidavits of witnesses, and other pieces of evidence;

d. Protests, appeals, and complaints not compliant with b) and c) herein

shall be denied outright;

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 e. The aggrieved party may appeal the decision on the protest to the
National Screening and Accreditation Committee (NSAC) within five (5)
days from the receipt thereof;

f. Notwithstanding the foregoing rules, the R1AA Board may, upon

presentment of substantial evidence, motu proprio cause the
declaration of ineligibility and/or disqualification of any ACC.

E. Review and Re-Evaluation of Athletes’ Records

1. Once an athlete is declared a winner, his or her submitted

documents shall be subjected to another round of review and
evaluation by the RSAC for purposes of the National Palaro.

2. Any winning athlete whose documentary requirements are found

to be defective shall not be allowed to compete in the National
Palaro. In this case, the 1st runner-up’s record shall be subjected
to review and evaluation and if found compliant, he or she will be
the one to be sent to the National Palaro to compete.

3. The winning athlete’s record must be updated hence he or she will

need to submit or re-submit the following:

a. Updated Form 137; and

b. Certificate of Completion (for Grades 11 and 12 only)

4. Once a winning athlete’s record is reviewed and evaluated, the

confirmation of said athlete that he or she will be playing in the
National Palaro shall be given by him/her within a reasonable time
before the scheduled National Palaro, otherwise, his or her name
shall not be included in the master list to be submitted to the
NSAC. If the athlete’s reason for not playing in the National Palaro
is not justifiable, he or she, upon a resolution by the R1AA Board,
may be declared banned or suspended from playing in future
school sporting events.

5. Replacement of Athletes. All ACCs must sign a commitment letter

which shall state that in the event that they shall be qualified to
participate in the 2017 National Palaro, they shall commit
themselves to attend the same. Otherwise, they shall be replaced
by the runner-up. An athlete’s commitment letter shall be signed
by the athlete, his/her parent/guardian, and his/her coach. A
violation of the commitment letter shall lead in the ACC’s
disqualification in future school sporting events in the Region
except for valid reasons. For this purpose, the following are valid
reasons which may exempt an ACC from participating in the
National Palaro:

a. Declaration that he/she is not medically fit to participate in

the National Palato;
b. If he/she is found to be ineligible;
c. If he/she is subsequently disqualified;
d. Force majeure/Fortuitous events or other supervening
events which may render the ACC incapable of participating;
and
e. Such other reasons which the Board en banc may deem to
be a valid ground.

In any of the above instances, the qualified ACC may be replaced

by the runner-up or the next-in-rank.

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 VIII. Screening and Accreditation of Coaches and Assistant Coaches

1. The following, among others, are eligibility and documentary

requirements to be submitted by the coaches and assistant coaches to the
Regional Screening and Accreditation Committee (RSAC):

a. Certificate of Employment.

For coaches coming from private schools, the certification must

show that he or she must have been employed on or before April
22, 2016. Further, the private school coach must attach a
certification of Social Security System (SSS) contribution which
should reflect the name of the private school as the employer.

b. Affidavit attesting, among others, to the authenticity, validity, and

correctness of the entries in the athlete’s record. The Affidavit must
also state that the athlete/s he/she is coaching is/are not
members of the National Team, National Training Pool and
Development Pool receiving monthly stipend/allowance from the
PSC;

c. Updated Personal Data Sheet (for DepEd employees);

d. Medical Certificate;

e. Certificate of Training which should show the coach’s relevant

sports training of at least twenty-four (24) hours for non-combative
sports and forty (40) hours for combative sports/gymnastics;

f. Certificate of Sports Membership which should show the coach’s

membership to any relevant sports association; and

g. Certificate of Sports Recognition.

All documents must be in A4 size.

2. In no instance shall a technical official be allowed to coach in the

Regional Palaro.

3. Coaches who were banned or suspended from joining the Regional and
National Palaro, and whose ban or suspension is not yet lifted or
terminated shall not be eligible to coach.

IX. Screening and Accreditation of Chaperones

A chaperone must submit the following documents:

1. Certificate of Employment.

For chaperones coming from private schools, the certification must

show that SHE must have been employed on or before April 22,
2016. Further, the private school chaperon must attach a
certification of Social Security System (SSS) contribution which
should reflect the name of the private school as the employer.

2. A commitment letter which shall show that she will nurture the
female athlete/s only and not to coach her.

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 X. Schedule of Screening and Accreditation of
Athletes, Coaches, and Chaperones (ACC)

INCLUSIVE DATES ACTIVITY TARGET PARTICIPANTS

February 13 to 14, 2017 Review/Revalidation by
RSAC of the documents
submitted by the ACCs
February 15, 2017 Interview of ACCs
February 16, 2017 Interview of ACCs
February 17, 2017 Interview of ACCs
February 18, 2017 Interview of ACCs
February 22, 2017 Issuance of the master list
February 27, 2017 Deadline of submission of
Protests on Eligibility
and/or Appeals on
Disqualification
RSAC Members including
Screeners and Accreditors
in the Special Games
ACCs of Pangasinan I,
Alaminos City, and
Dagupan City
ACCs of San Carlos City,
Urdaneta City, and
Pangasinan II
ACCs of Ilocos Norte, Laoag
City, and Batac City
ACCs of Ilocos Sur, Vigan
City, Candon City, La
Union, and San Fernando
City
All Divisions, RSAC, and
the R1AA Board
All interested parties

1. The activity on February 13 and 14, 2017 shall be hosted by the National
Educators Academy of the Philippines – Regional Office 1 and the
Regional Office;

2. The transportation to be used by the RSAC shall be shouldered by the

host division.

4. The meals of the RSAC shall be shouldered by the Division where the
RSAC may be found.

5. Each authorized Division Representative to the RSAC, as listed in R1AA

Resolution No. 1, series of 2017), shall be accompanied by a his/her co-
chair and the latter shall assist in the review and revalidation activity on
February 13 and 14, 2017.

6. The two government dentists shall be assisted by one dental aide.

7. The ACCs will be interviewed by the RSAC, as scheduled, in their training

grounds. Hence, it is expected that on the dates scheduled, the ACCs of
each division should be ready for interview.

8. Upon the declaration of a winner, the winning athlete’s documents shall

be immediately reviewed and revalidated. He/she shall be asked to
submit, within a reasonable time, his/her updated Form 137. For Grades
11 and 12 athletes, they are required to submit their Certificate of
Completion (see Rule VII. E. 3.). Failure to submit shall be a ground for
the replacement of said athlete.

Selection Process for the National Palaro

Travel to the National Palaro Site: Mode of Transportation

XI. Sanctions

1. Any violation of the foregoing rules and guidelines shall be a ground to

declare an athlete/team ineligible and/or disqualified in the sporting
event he/she/they participated in or about to participate. Any win earned
by the disqualified athlete/team shall be forfeited in favor of the opposing
athlete/team.
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 2. On top of the immediate disqualification, any personnel, coach,
chaperone, or technical official who shall be found to have perpetrated
any violation of these rules and guidelines shall be banned or suspended
from participating in future school sports competitions for a period
ranging from one (1) year to three (3) years depending on the gravity of
the offense without prejudice to his or her liability (civil, criminal, or
administrative) under other pertinent laws, rules, and orders.

3. Coaches, technical officials, and chaperones committing acts constitutive

of violations of the Child Protection Policy shall be subjected to a summary
hearing under these Rules and Guidelines where they, the erring
personnel and the alleged victim, together with their witnesses, and their
pieces of evidence, shall appear before the legal unit representative for a
summary investigation. The legal unit representative shall submit an
investigation report with recommendations to the R1AA Board and the
latter shall vote whether or not to adopt the recommendation/s. The
voting, as much as possible should be done as a body, but if
impracticable, electronic voting may be had through either email, social
media, text messaging, or any other reasonable means.

4. Athletes committing acts constitutive of violations of the Anti-Bullying Act

shall be subjected to a summary hearing under these Rules and
Guidelines where they, the erring athletes, with the assistance of their
coaches and/or parents/guardians, shall be made to appear before the
legal unit representative which shall conduct a one-time hearing to
determine the liability of the alleged bully and to determine the proper
intervention to be had. The legal unit representative shall submit an
investigation report with recommendations to the R1AA Board and the
latter shall vote whether or not to adopt the recommendation/s. The
voting, as much as possible should be done as a body, but if practicable,
electronic voting may be had through either email, social media, text
messaging, or any other reasonable means.

5. For purposes of these rules on sanctions, an offense herein is deemed

grave if it can be shown that there is evident, premeditation, willful intent
to defraud, gross negligence, and blatant disregard of the rules. A grave
offense shall merit the imposition of an immediate lifetime ban from
joining the Regional Palaro and all lower meets. No mitigating
circumstances may be appreciated in favor of the ACC in this case.

An offense herein is deemed simple if it can be shown that there was no

deliberate intent on the part of the ACC to violate the rules and that the
infraction was a product of a mere inadvertence. Mitigating circumstances
may be appreciated in favor of the ACC.

XII. Incorporation and Separability

All other relevant provisions of the Palarong Pambansa Act, its IRR, DepEd
Orders No. 156 and 174, series of 2016, other pertinent laws, orders, and
regulations, present or future, are deemed incorporated herein.

If any provision of these rules and guidelines are subsequently amended or

repealed by virtue of any issuance, the remainder of the rules and guidelines shall
remain in force and effect.

XIII. Effectivity

These rules and guidelines shall be effective immediately upon approval by

the Region 1 Athletic Association and its publication in DepEd RO1’s webpage with
the DepEd website or on DepEd RO1’s Official Facebook Page or on the Official
Website of the 2017 R1AA at http://www.2017riaa.tk/.

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