ILOILO City – This city is gearing up to showcase its homegrown talents in the 2024 Batang Pinoy national championships, sending a delegation of 196 athletes to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, from November 23 to 28.
This year’’s competition will reflect a strategic focus on youth development, with the athletes predominantly drawn from the city’s Iloilo City Sports Academy (ICSA), a well-regarded grassroots program recognized among the top 18 governance practices nationwide by the Galing Pook Foundation.
Despite an adjusted age limit of 12 to 17 years for participants, Iloilo City remains optimistic about its medal prospects. Executive Assistant for Youth and Sports Rudiver Jungco Sr. noted that the city aims for an 80 to 90 percent medal success rate, despite losing the younger nine- to 10-year-old category, which had previously produced many top performers.
Jungco emphasized that this cohort, representing sports like boxing, swimming, and taekwondo, reflects years of city-backed training through ICSA. With P2.1 million earmarked for travel and logistics, the city is investing in both the immediate competition and the long-term vision of its sports program.
The city government is also exploring the addition of gymnastics to the academy’s offerings, pending the recruitment of specialized trainers, signaling a commitment to broadening the horizons for young Ilonggo athletes.
Having achieved sixth place in 2023 and fifth in 2022, Iloilo City is setting its sights on a higher finish in this year’s Batang Pinoy, with hopes that this robust investment will not only yield medals but further uplift the city’s athletic program. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency)/PN
