Western Visayas athletes will undergo intensive training in preparation for the 2026 Palarong Pambansa following the successful staging of the Western Visayas Regional Athletics Association (WVRAA) meet that culminated in Passi City on Sunday.
Department of Education in Western Visayas (DepEd-6) information officer Hernani Escullar Jr., in a phone interview on Monday, said the region is eyeing to maintain, if not elevate, its third rank during the 2025 Palaro.
“We don’t have the terms of reference yet for the intense training. Maybe in the next few days; we still have to plan for it,” Escullar said.
During the closing ceremony on Sunday evening, Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares offered the city’s sports facilities as a venue for the training.
The 2026 Palaro set in Agusan del Sur in May will be the first time for Western Visayas to play without Negros Occidental, which will now be part of the Negros Island Region contingent.
Escullar said while Negros Occidental was able to win gold medals for Western Visayas, records show that most of the medals were from Panay and Guimaras.
“We are ready. We know we are the stronger home of the champion. This is going to be a memorable one for our athletes because Negros Occidental is no longer with us. But looking at the previous results, most of our medals were from Panay and Guimaras combined,” he said.
Western Visayas is set to defend its crown in Pencak Silat secondary girls; Sepak Takraw secondary boys and girls (double); table tennis secondary girls (double); Taekwondo/Kyorugi secondary girls; and arnis (individual likha espada) elementary boys, among others.
One of the bemedalled athletes for this year’s WVRAA, Nuchi Veronica Ibit from Aklan, will also defend her title in the 100-meter freestyle in swimming.
The 2026 WVRAA ended with the Schools Division of Iloilo bagging the championship crown for regular sports, both in elementary and secondary and paragames, winning 207 gold, 136 silver and 93 bronze medals.
First runner-up was won by the Schools Division of Iloilo City with 107 gold, 87 silver and 94 bronze medals; while second runner-up was the Schools Division of Aklan with 51 gold, 65 silver and 116 bronze medals. (PNA)
