STUDENT-ATHLETES in Davao City will soon train under professional coaches—for free—through the Sports Development Division-City Mayor's Office's Aktibo Dabawenyo-School for Sports program, which kicks off June 20 in three public high schools.
Designed to nurture young talent and raise the level of grassroots sports in the city, the program will deliver twice-weekly training sessions in select schools, covering both traditional sports and emerging disciplines like Pentjak Silat.
The first sessions begin at Davao City National High School (DCNHS) and Crossing Bayabas National High School (CBNHS) on June 20, with A.L. Navarro National High School (ALNNHS) following on June 23 due to travel and scheduling considerations.
The initiative trains the next generation of athletes using structured programs and pro-level coaching, according to Irene Lumanas, executive program director of Aktibo Dabawenyo.
“Wala ni siya’y fee or subscription kailangan. Free jud ni siya for the athletes. On our part naman, we will send coaches sa mga schools pero free of charge ni siya nga event (It’s completely free. No registration fees, no subscriptions—just commitment and participation from our youth)," she said in an interview with SunStar Davao.
SDD-CMO will assign qualified coaches to each school based on student interest and available facilities. Here’s what each school will offer: DCNHS - athletics, football, futsal, and sepak takraw; CBNHS - athletics, dancesport, pencak silat, sepak takraw, soft baseball, and taekwondo; and ALNNHS - archery, athletics, football, pencak silat, and taekwondo.
All training sessions will be held on school grounds, with plans to maintain simultaneous, twice-weekly sessions until October 2025.
Lumanas said the program is part of a broader push to build a stronger sports culture in Davao by exposing youth to organized training early on. She added that the program also marks the city’s first official introduction of pencak silat, a southeast Asian martial art, into school-based training.
The city continues to scout for young athletes aged eight to 15 who are eager to learn, train, and grow in their chosen sports. With no cost involved, the program hopes to remove barriers that often limit access to quality sports training. Shema Kailah B. Sacman, AdDU Intern