BUTUAN CITY – An athlete from Eastern Visayas captured the first gold medal of the 2026 Palarong Pambansa after winning the secondary girls’ 3,000-meter event on Monday morning, May 25.
Chrisia Mae Tajarros, 14, successfully defended her title after also winning the same athletics event in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte.
“I trained for nearly a year to prepare for this year’s Palaro,” Tajarros told reporters after her gold-medal victory.
She also thanked the officials in the region, the members of her training team, school officials, and her coach for their support.
Fellow Eastern Visayas athlete Angel Lumacang bagged the silver medal, while Charlene Cos of the Davao Region secured the bronze.
Aside from athletics, competitions in several other sports events also began Monday, including baseball, chess, boxing, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, and the Paragames. / PNA
