Most of Davao City’s 713-member delegation to the Batang Pinoy 2025 National Games set from October 25 to 31 in General Santos City will leave on October 23 aboard 13 commissioned passenger buses, while others will travel in private vehicles.
Nestor Navarro, Batang Pinoy focal person of the Sports Development Division–City Mayor’s Office (SDD-CMO), shared the details in a Messenger interview with SunStar Davao on Friday, October 17.
Of the total delegation, 580 are athletes, 108 are coaches, and 25 are staff members, including a medical team composed of two nurses and one physical therapist from the City Health Office (CHO).
The Dabawenyo contingent will be billeted at Dadiangas South Central Elementary School, Navarro said.
They will be provided with catered breakfast and dinner meals at the billeting center, courtesy of our city government. They’ll also be transported to and from their competition venues,” he added. Those who chose to stay in hotels, however, have waived these privileges.
Delegates recently received their official uniforms, which include a parade tracksuit (jogging pants, shirt, and jacket) and a pair of shorts.
In a separate interview, Association for the Advancement of Karatedo (AAK) Davao regional director Rommel Tan said they were informed that athletes’ allowances would be released in General Santos City.
Navarro also confirmed that nine athletes will no longer compete due to injuries.
“They were injured during training, so they won’t be able to continue,” he said. “Most of them came from contact sports like boxing, judo, arnis, and pencak silat. Some suffered severe injuries, while a swimmer also has a health concern.”
Earlier, SDD-CMO officer-in-charge Michael Denton ‘Mikey’ Aportadera expressed optimism that Davao City could surpass its performance in the 2024 Batang Pinoy held in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, where it finished fourth overall with 39 gold, 44 silver, and 37 bronze medals.
“We’re hoping to take it up a notch this year,” he said in a media interview on the sidelines of the Sports Heroes Awards Night held at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, September 28, 2025. “But I don’t want to put pressure on the athletes. I just want them to enjoy it and perform the way they’ve trained. The good thing is, with the venue closer, they’ll feel more confident competing.”
This year’s Batang Pinoy will feature 27 sports, including swimming, archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, basketball (3x3), boxing, chess, cycling, dancesport, futsal, gymnastics, jiu-jitsu, judo, kickboxing, karate, muay, pencak silat, sepak takraw, soft tennis, tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and wushu—showcasing a vibrant mix of individual and team competition. MLSA