PTC donates $25K to MGOC

The volunteer efforts of the Micronesian Games Organizing Committee have been well documented since the CNMI opted to take over the hosting duties for the 2006 edition of the quadrennial games, as everyday members of the community have put their personal interests aside to provide the region with the finest event possible for the more than 1,400 athletes who will be competing on Saipan next month.

The committee members received another boost yesterday as Pacific Trading Co., Ltd. donated a check for $25,000 to the MGOC in the conference room of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

PTC general manager Charles Cepeda was joined by Beverage Sales manager Glen Hunter, Promotions and Marketing manager Michael Babauta, and PTC consultant Philip Abellana when he presented MGOC vice chairman Rex Palacios with the super-sized check in front of a gathering of media representatives and committee members.

“Sports have always been a part of Pacific Trading’s commitment to the community. We like to support the Micronesian Games the way we support sports for everyone throughout the region,” said Cepeda.

Palacios was happy to see one of the community’s largest supporters come through to assist the MGOC with the monumental task of hosting the athletes for the first time since the 1990 Micronesian Games and said that this donation falls in line with everything that PTC, Ltd. has done for the community for years.

“Pacific Trading has been involved in sports in Guam, Micronesia, and the CNMI as well and this is another example of their support. They’ve been underwriting sports throughout the regions for a long, long time, and I suspect that this contribution is just the start,” he said.

The benefits of hosting the Games are becoming more evident daily. Excitement is building throughout the community, donations are pouring in, and improvements to the Oleai Sports Complex are evident to passersby with the construction of the bleachers, the painting of the mural on the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, and in the near future the facility will receive new lights for Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field as the necessary components have already been ordered.

Repairs and modifications are taking place or are scheduled for facilities all over the Saipan resulting in first-rate facilities for use by athletes for years to come.