With a call for an all-inclusive sports program in the country, former President Fidel V. Ramos signed on March 3, 1994, Executive Order No. 163, creating the Philippine National Games (PNG) as βthe centerpiece program of the governmentβs national physical fitness and sports development.β
The EO envisioned the PNG to effectively address the countryβs need for a truly comprehensive grassroots spor
ts development program, generating sports activities in the countryside and harnessing the full potential of our people towards athletic excellence. The PNG is a multi-sporting event organized by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) aimed to find possible composition of the national team which will represent the country in international sports events such as the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and the Olympic Games. The first and second editions of the games were held in Manila in 1994 and 1996, followed by the hosting of Cebu City in 1997. In 2011, the PNG was held in the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Silay and Talisay in Negros Occidental after 14 years of absence. Dumaguete City would host the next edition of the games in 2012, before it returns to the countryβs capital in Manila for its 2013, 2014 and 2015 editions. The ninth edition of the games went back to the βQueen City of the Southβ, Cebu City β this time teaming up with Cebu Province as co-hosts for the first time in 20 years.
