WITH Western Visayas now split into two regions, Department of Education (DepEd) Davao regional director Allan Farnazo is confident in the Davao Region Athletic Association’s (Davraa) chances of improving its standing in the upcoming Palarong Pambansa 2025 in Laoag City.
The change comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act into law on June 11, 2024. The act consolidates Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and Bacolod City into a single administrative region.
Previously, Negros Occidental was part of Western Visayas (Region 6), while Negros Oriental and Siquijor belonged to Central Visayas (Region 7).
In Palaro 2024, Western Visayas secured third place with 56 gold, 41 silver, and 41 bronze medals, while the Davao Region finished fourth with 32 golds, 25 silvers, and 35 bronzes. The Davao Eagles have steadily climbed the rankings,
Farnazo believes Davraa has a strong chance of breaking into the top three this year.
"We have already established fourth place. There's no way but up. We will try our best," he said during a media interview at the Davao City Athletic Association (Dcaa) Meet 2025 at Davao City National High School last week.
He also urged the Davao City Durians, the reigning Davraa Meet champions, to up their game. "I challenge Davao City division to take the lead in increasing the conversion of their regional gold medals into actual Palarong Pambansa gold medals."
The Dcaa Meet 2025 concluded on February 8, with Unit 1 successfully defending its overall championship, collecting 104 gold, 69 silver, and 65 bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Davao del Norte is set to host the Davraa Meet 2025 from March 9 to 15. Provincial sports coordinator Giovanni Gulanes confirmed that a coordination meeting for the regional Palaro qualifiers will be held on Tuesday, February 11.
Laoag will host the Palaro 2025 on April 24 to May 1, 2025. MLSA