PALAWAN, Philippines – Strength in numbers.
After lurking in the shadow of Baguio City in the past two editions, Pasig City is set to be crowned as the new champion of the Batang Pinoy competition held at Puerto Princesa City here.
Pasig, which is also the biggest delegation of the tournament with 624 members, is poised to end the four-year reign of the Summer Capital after taking home 83 golds, 49 silvers, and 88 bronze medals per the latest count.
Baguio will be relegated to second place with a 63-53-58 medal haul, never being able to overtake the perennial front-runners of the five-day tournament.
Quezon City (45-43-45), Davao City (35-35-28), and Cebu City (28-32-27) will round out the top five local government units, each receiving a cash prize from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the tournament organizer.
First place will get P5 million, second P4 million, third P3 million, fourth P2 million, and fifth P1 million.
Swimmer Arvin Naeem Taguinota II emerged as the most bemedaled from the city, taking home six of its 13 gold medals.
Taguinota’s sister, 16-year-old Arabella Nadeen, also reset the record in the girls’ 16-17 50m breaststroke, clocking 34.67 seconds, eclipsing the old record of Sorsogon’s Beatrize Mabalay of 34.95 set in 2023.
Pasig secured 31 medals (11-9-11) from the event overall.
Meanwhile, Olongapo City triumphed in the girls’ futsal under-15 division, finishing an undefeated run to the championship after capping it off with a 3-1 decision over San Carlos, Negros Occidental.
Down 0-1 after the first minute of the game, Collen Siegel tallied a hat-trick, scoring three goals in the 7th, 9th, and 10th minute and never looked back.
“It feels very good because we lost last year against San Carlos (in the semifinals). We proved that we got better,” Siegel said.
Futsal team yearns for recognition
Over on the other court, the Pangasinan boys U15 team exacted revenge on Bago City, Negros Occidental, in the championship game, 4-1, as Jerick Salting scored a brace.
Bago won over the team in the group phase, 3-0, giving fuel to the Luzon-based contingent.
Head coach Jimuel del Campo hopes that the team’s win would earn them enough respect back home.
“(Futsal) is not that known, and we are being told to leave the basketball courts and just train in the grass (much like football),” Del Campo said.
“Since football players play in the fields, they told us we should just play there, and we want to make people know that futsal can be played on concrete surfaces,” he added.
Overcoming grief
In its first Batang Pinoy appearance, the Palawan boys’ 12-14 delegation rose in their age bracket as kings of the sepak takraw event, beating Victoria City, Negros Occidental, in the final, 15-9, 9-15, 17-14.
The team overcame grief from the shocking loss of the team’s grandmother figure, Deoleta Rosas, who died unexpectedly in the wee hours of Thursday due to cardiac arrest at the age of 73.
The players rushed Rosas, who was with the team for the duration of the tournament, to the hospital, where she was declared dead at about 6:40 am.
Organizers decided to delay the start of the game for 20 minutes as well.
Down 14-13, Palawan outscored their opponents 4-1 to end the tournament in bittersweet fashion.
“We prayed in the third set, we asked God to give us the championship, as we grieve the loss of our mom,” said head coach Webster Rosas, the son of Deoleta.
“Our players played inspired for lola, and calmed themselves in the process.”
PSC eyes “Batang Pinay”
Following the success of the Batang Pinoy, PSC Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo is eyeing the staging of the Batang Pinay — a girls’ only competition — in Metro Manila in 2025.
“Why couldn’t we hold a ‘Batang Pinay?’ We want to show that girls should get into sports as well,” explained Coo, a champion bowler. – Rappler.com