Little League administrator Mike Zialcita. PSA/Handout.
MANILA -- Organizers of the Little League Philippines Series are taking all steps to guarantee the safety of all participants in the finals, scheduled April 9 to 16 in Ilagan, Isabela.
A total of 63 teams who triumphed in regional tournaments in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will take part in the finals that will offer slots to this year's Asia-Pacific Games.
Little League administrator Mike Zialcita on Tuesday said they are aware of the danger posed by the intense summer heat on the hundreds of participants aged 12-14 years.
"We just had a meeting last night. We agreed to implement the rule that there will be no matches from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. because it's the hottest time of the day," said Zialcita in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Over the weekend, a young student-athlete from Colegio San Agustin collapsed while playing football and died apparently due to heat stroke.
"Kapag sobra ang init, wala tayong games. And tinatambakan naman sila ng tubig. At kapag nakita namin na ayaw maglaro ng bata or wala sa kundisyon, kami na mismo ang nagsasabi," Zialcita said in the forum.
In Ilagan, the 63 finalists culled from 158 teams that joined the regionals last February will vie for slots to the Asia-Pacific Games featuring four divisions and baseball and three in softball.
South Korea will host the 12-under and 13-under divisions in baseball in June while the Philippines is still working on hosting the 14-under baseball in Clark and all divisions in softball in Ilagan in June.