THE Mandaue City government held a send-off ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for their young athletes who will be competing in the 2025 National Batang Pinoy in General Santos City from Oct. 25 to 31, 2025.
The Mandaue City LGU is supporting a total of 193 athletes and coaches. Including those who will compete at their own expense but are still endorsed by the city, the total delegation reaches 240 participants.
The send-off ceremony took place at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
Out of 27 sports, Mandaue will compete in 20 events, a major increase from the previous years when the city could only send fewer than 100 athletes due to budget constraints.
“Although the budget remains limited this year, we were fortunate that there are no Philippine National Games scheduled,” said Mandaue City Sports Office officer-in-charge Mary Joy Tabal.
“With the approval of our city mayor, we were able to utilize the funds originally set for that event and channel them to support our Batang Pinoy athletes,” said Tabal, an athlete herself who represented the country in the Olympics, SEA Games and other international competitions.
The allocated budget for this year’s participation is P9 million. Each athlete will receive full parade uniforms, competition attire, shoes, bags, and allowances.
Tabal said the city’s focus is not only on selecting students from schools but also on recognizing athletes developed through the city’s grassroots sports development program.
“Some of our participants are products of our grassroots program, while others are top-performing athletes from previous competitions like the CVIRAA and Palarong Pambansa,” she said.
“We also gave priority to those who previously lacked the opportunity to represent because of limited school budgets, this time, they get to carry the city’s name.”
Mandaue City ranked 12th to 13th in last year’s National Batang Pinoy, sending only 68 athletes who still managed to bring home around 40 medals. This year, the city is aiming for a higher rank with expanded participation and stronger support.
The delegation will also include athletes for newly added sports such as kickboxing, wushu, jujitsu, and futsal (for both girls and boys).
Mandaue’s traditional strong sports include chess, arnis, badminton, athletics, swimming, karate, and sepak takraw. / ABC with RSC