The Jose Maria College (JMC) Kings and University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters kicked off the 89th Araw ng Dabaw Invitational Basketball Tournament with debut victories, Thursday, March 12, at the Almendras Gym, Davao City Recreation Center.
The Kings dismantled San Pedro College (SPC), 85-73, led by Karlo Estomo, who scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded five steals.
Meanwhile, the UC Webmasters edged the Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs, 62-57. Ricofer Sordilla led the charge with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Action resumes Friday, March 13, with BC facing SPC at 5 p.m., followed by a highly anticipated matchup between JMC and UC at 7 p.m.
The tournament is organized by Madayaw Sports Davao and sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) under Davao regional director and businessman Glenn Escandor. It is part of the accredited events of the 89th Araw ng Dabaw Sports Festival, overseen by the Sports Development Division.
Meanwhile, the Davao City Sports Development Division of the City Mayor's Office (SDD-CMO) has rolled out a packed sports calendar for the 89th Araw ng Dabaw, with 43 accredited events taking place across multiple venues.
Justine Adovo of the SDD-CMO said the city is fully supporting the monthlong sports festivities, with organizers ensuring that all events follow proper guidelines for athletes and spectators.
“For this year’s Araw ng Dabaw, we have a total of 43 accredited sports events in the city, these are simultaneous and mostly they are scheduled Saturdays and Sundays and all of these events are supported by the city,” Adovo said during the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum held Thursday, March 13, 2026, at The Annex of SM City Davao.
Adovo also highlighted the addition of sambo to this year’s lineup, marking the combat sport’s debut in the city’s Araw ng Dabaw sports festival.
“For this year, we have Sambo kasi wala tayong Sambo last year. Puro local lang po yung mga events ng Sambo this year, but sila yung pinaka bago (We have sambo this year because it wasn’t included last year. The events are mostly local, but it’s our newest sport),” Adovo added.
World-class Dabawenyo siblings Sydney and Chino Sy Tancontian, who began competing as judokas in Araw ng Dabaw and Kadayawan Festival tournaments during their childhood, have helped boost the popularity of Sambo in the country after bringing home honors from international competitions.
Another SDD-CMO employee, Charlie Roscios, said several competitions have already wrapped up as the busy schedule unfolds.
“Actually, the Legacy Run has already concluded, and it was held at Azuela. We also started the elementary girls’ volleyball meet at UM Matina, which is still ongoing, and we have also finished the beach ping pong event,” Roscios said.
Competition continues this weekend with the opening of the intercollegiate and open women’s volleyball leagues, featuring teams from local schools and visiting squads from General Santos City. MLSA WITH Marlon Cotillon/DNSC, SunStar Intern