• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Ramir Uytico, regional director of the Department of Education-Negros Island (DepEd NIR), emphasized that athlete welfare is the top priority for the Negros Island Region Athletics Association Meet (NIRAAM) 2026.
Dedicated wellness spaces with stationed guidance counselors have been established at various billeting areas throughout Bacolod City for the regional meet that will run from March 1-7.
According to Uytico, wellness spaces have been established for all 12 delegations to provide emotional support and counseling for student-athletes.
“I emphasized during our solidarity meeting that to put up a good fight is secondary and the primary concern is to protect our athletes,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of conditioning the participants to understand that winning is not the sole outcome of the competition.
The regional director aims for the athletes to return home carrying the positive values and lessons gained from their participation in Niraam 2026, regardless of their ranking.
DepEd also launched a dedicated NIRAAM 2026 website featuring real-time game schedules, results, and venue details.
The site hosts Bantay-Atleta, an official portal for delegates to report incidents such as bullying or competition-related concerns.
Uytico said that a total of 8,648 delegates are participating from 12 different divisions.*
