A TOTAL of 144 young athletes with their 22 coaches will represent the City of Bacolod in the Batang Pinoy 2025 National Championships in General Santos City from October 25-31, 2025.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said a send-off ceremony was held on Monday, October 20, at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds as the city formally recognized its delegation for the Batang Pinoy 2025.
He said the delegation will compete in 12 sports such as aquatics/swimming, archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, futsal (boys and girls), gymnastics, Muay Thai, taekwondo, beach volleyball, and wushu.
The mayor noted that the City Government allocated P6 million for the travel expenses, uniform, and subsidies for the players, including their coaches, which is P8,000 each.
Gasataya said the city’s delegates are set to travel to General Santos on Wednesday, October 22.
“We are hoping and praying that next Batang Pinoy will be held in Bacolod City,” he said.
The City Government earlier expressed its interest to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to host the 2026 Batang Pinoy National Games.
“We bid to host the Batang Pinoy in 2026 to bring the competition back here after more than a decade,” Gasataya said.
The Batang Pinoy was inaugurated in Bacolod City in 1999 through Presidential Executive Order 44 signed by then-President Joseph Estrada on December 2, 1998.
It is an annual national youth sports program for athletes 15 years old and below.
Gasataya said that aside from food and tourism, sports is also one of the city’s priority programs, adding that preparations are underway, including the required facilities for hosting the event. (MAP)