THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will hold the Visayas leg of the 2026 Indigenous Peoples (IP) Games in Iloilo City on April 18-19, 2026.
For the first time, the IP Games will feature participants from the Panay Island in the Western Visayas region such as Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo and the province of Guimaras.
Iloilo City was supposed to host the Visayas leg of the games in September last year but was called off due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Opong.
The province of Aklan will be represented by the IP groups Ati and Akeanon Bukidnon, while Antique will be represented by the Ati and Iraynon Bukidnon groups.
The Ati, Halawodnon Bukidnon and Panay Bukidnon will represent Iloilo, while the Panay Bukidnon and Ati will represent Capiz.
Guimaras, meanwhile, will be represented by their Ati group.
Commissioner Matthew “Fritz” Gaston, on behalf of the PSC team, met with Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas to personally express his gratitude for the city’s hosting of the games and its active involvement and support in the sports sector.
“Usually, we only hold it at the provincial level with participating municipalities, but this time, it is the entire Panay Island, so the start of 2026 IP Games is really exciting,” said Gaston, who oversees the agency’s IP Games program.
The participants will compete in lisik-lisik, kadang-kadang sa paya, kadang-kadang sa kawayan, mat weaving, pukol, fire making, bayo sa palay, trumpo, kasing palosebo, turtle race.
To be featured as demonstration games this year are pitiw, patintero, ukbo, turnilyo and piol, and pana.
The PSC, in partnership with the Iloilo City Sports Development Division, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Regions 6 and 7, Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representatives (IPMRs) of Western Visayas, Department of Education (Western Visayas), Iloilo City Health Office, Iloilo City Police Office, La Paz I Elementary School, and other partners, also met to discuss and finalize the preparations for the conduct of the said Sports-For-All Program in Panay Island.
The project is also backed by Otsuka-Solar Inc. (Pocari Sweat) and Unilab-Western Visayas, which provided support through product giveaways.
