A contingent of 144 young athletes from Bacolod City is heading to General Santos City to compete in the Batang Pinoy 2025 National Championships, scheduled from October 25 to 31, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.
Among the competitors are 23 student-athletes from Romanito P. Maravilla Sr. National High School (RPMNHS) in Barangay Estefania. The group is bannered by Jay-R Grijaldo, a two-time Batang Pinoy gold medalist, who will again take on the 800m and 1,500m races in the 17-under category.
Romanito Maravilla NHS has a strong reputation as a breeding ground for Bacolod’s top track and field athletes, consistently producing former standouts and record-breakers such as Mico Villaran, one of the most bemedaled athletes in the 2024 Palarong Pambansa where he captured gold medals in the 400m hurdles, 110m hurdles, and 4x100m relay; and Airex Gabriel Villanueva, who dominated the discus throw and shot put events at the 2024 National Open Championships and the 2023 Palarong Pambansa.
The RMNHS contingent is mentored by Coach Miguel Arca, who also serves as the school’s sports coordinator.
Executive assistant Rhett Demonteverde, head of the Bacolod City delegation, said that the athletes will participate in 12 sports: aquatics/swimming, archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, futsal (boys and girls), Muay Thai, taekwondo, beach volleyball, wushu and gymnastics.
The majority of the Bacolod delegation departed from Bacolod–Silay Airport early Thursday morning to acclimatize to the conditions and venues before the start of the games.
During the send-off ceremony on October 20, Mayor Greg Gasataya expressed his full support for the city’s delegation, emphasizing Bacolod’s commitment to grassroots sports development and announcing plans to bid for hosting the Batang Pinoy National Games next year.
“We bid to bring the competition back here after more than a decade,” Gasataya said.
The City Government of Bacolod has allocated P6 million to cover the athletes’ travel accommodations, and logistical needs during the national competition.*
