Over 3,000 athletes will vie for honors in the Davao City Athletic Association (Dcaa) Meet 2024, which is set to kick off from February 28 to March 3 in various venues in the city.
According to Deony Ferolino, the Department of Education (DepEd) Davao City Sports Division officer, both the elementary and secondary divisions will each have eight participating units. These include four units from public schools and an additional four from private schools, with each unit fielding 180 to 200 athletes.
Originally slated to begin this week, the Dcaa Meet 2024 was rescheduled to accommodate ongoing unit meets disrupted by the cancellation of classes in public and private schools at all levels earlier this month.
The city government of Davao's decision to cancel classes was prompted by adverse weather conditions, specifically a shear line and low-pressure area that brought continuous heavy rains.
Ferolino said, "Tungod sa mga unforeseen circumstances, daghang adlaw ang walay klase, nadelay ang mga papeles, wala kadagan (Due to unforeseen circumstances, there were many days without classes, papers were delayed, and the papers could not be processed)."
Meanwhile, Units 3 and 1 are the defending overall champions in the elementary and secondary divisions, respectively. They remain the top teams to beat.
Unit 3 is bannered by athletes from 𝘉𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘰, 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘰𝘯, 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢, 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘥, 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰 𝘈, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘰 𝘉 while Unit 1 is composed mainly of Davao City National High School (DCNHS) athletes.
DCAA Meet 2024 mirrors that of the previous year, with individual and champion teams earning automatic slots in the Davao Region Athletic Association (DAVRAA) Meet 2024 scheduled for April 1 to 7 in Davao City.
Ferolino underscored the policy change from the previous year, adding, "Nagsugod na last year nga wala na'y pick-up of players from other teams. Pag mudaug ang usa ka team, sila gihapon magdula sa Davraa Meet. Dili na sila masagulan og laing players (It started last year when there was no pick-up of players from other teams. If a team wins, the same team will compete in the Davraa Meet. Players from other teams will no longer reinforce them)." This approach, he noted, provides due recognition to the winning school team.
DCNHS will host sepak takraw, volleyball, and softball events, while the University of Mindanao (UM) Matina will hold the athletics competition, and the Davao City-University of the Philippines Mindanao (Davao City-UP Min) will host football matches.
Other sports will be distributed across different venues. MLSA