Batang Pinoy, the annual grassroots sports festival for young Filipino athletes, will return to its birthplace for the 2026 edition, scheduled for December 12-18 in Bacolod City. Known as the City of Smiles and famous for its MassKara Festival and chicken inasal, Bacolod is confident of staging another successful event after hosting the inaugural edition in 1999.
Mayor Gasataya Confirms Readiness
“We thank the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for allowing us to host this year. Bacolod is prepared,” said Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association forum. Gasataya noted that Bacolod has over 4,000 hotel rooms available to accommodate delegates, while government schools can also be used as billeting facilities. He added that competition venues are already prepared for the weeklong event.
PSC Chairman Expresses Confidence
PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio expressed confidence in Bacolod’s ability to host the games, which are expected to draw as many as 18,000 athletes and more than a thousand officials from 188 local government units (LGUs). “What are the criteria for hosting? The important thing is that if the mayor is involved, if there is commitment, it will surely happen,” said Gregorio of the meet, which caters to athletes aged 8 to 15.
Gregorio said the PSC decided to limit participation to athletes aged 8 to 15, and let those aged 16 or 17 years old compete in the annual Palarong Pambansa. “In the Batang Pinoy, athletes aged eight years old are the superstars,” added Gregorio during the forum, which was also graced by PSC commissioner and Batang Pinoy project director Bong Coo, DILG Undersecretary Rolando Puno, Bacolod City Administrator Mark Mayo, and DepEd Director Miguel Mantaring.
30 Sports Disciplines This Year
Coo, a legendary bowler, said 30 sports disciplines will be contested this year, up from last year’s 27, following the inclusion of golf, skateboarding, and bowling. The other sports are aquatics, archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, dancesport, futsal, gymnastics, jiujitsu, judo, karate, kickboxing, muay, pencak silat, sepak takraw, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and wushu. “We are hoping for a prosperous and successful Batang Pinoy in December,” said Coo.
