AGUSAN DEL SUR — The National Capital Region (NCR) reaffirmed its dominance, clinching its 19th consecutive overall championship in the Palarong Pambansa.
So far, NCR amassed an impressive 91 gold, 71 silver, and 71 bronze medals to close out the weeklong 66th edition of the country’s premier multisport event hosted by Agusan del Sur.
The bulk of NCR’s success came from the secondary division, which delivered a 73-51-50 gold-silver-bronze haul, while the elementary squad contributed 24-18-25.
Leading the charge was standout swimmer Patricia Mae Santor, who capped her final Palaro stint in dominant fashion with seven gold medals, sweeping all her events in the secondary level.
NCR also came off a historic 2025 campaign where it set a record with 117 gold medals, alongside 70 silver and 50 bronze.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte made an appearance at the Datu Lipus Makapandong-Governor Democrito O. Plaza Sports Complex on Saturday, signaling the city’s role as host of the next Palarong Pambansa. She expressed excitement over NCR’s continued lead in the medal standings.
Region 4A (Calabarzon) secured second place with a 55-50-60 medal tally, while Region 11 (Davao) edged Region 7 (Central Visayas) for third, 34-32-34 against 31-36-45.
Host Region 13 (Caraga), bannered by Agusan del Sur, finished with 30 gold, 19 silver, and 48 bronze medals. Governor Santiago B. Cane Jr. had earlier pledged a P1 million reward for any athlete who could break a Philippine record, but no one achieved the feat.
Records fall across athletics, swimming
A total of 31 Palaro records were shattered, with 18 coming from athletics and 13 from swimming.
Calabarzon’s Charles Nathan Boneo emerged as one of the brightest young stars, setting three new records in elementary boys’ swimming during his debut year, ruling the 400-m freestyle, 100-m freestyle, and 4x100-m medley relay alongside teammates Rui Andreus Lacuna, Linus Maxx Lalog, and David Tristan Reyes.
National Academy of Sports standout Riannah Chantelle Coleman also delivered three record-breaking performances in the 200-m, 100-m, and 50-m breaststroke events.
Region 1’s (Ilocos) Anton Paulo Domnick Della reset the standards in the 1500-m and 800-m freestyle, while Region 7’s Jhul Ian Cañalita rewrote athletics history with new marks in the 3000-m steeplechase (9:11.40) and 5000-m run (15:55.22).
The other athletics gold medalists who stamped their class included Beverly Naisa (100-m hurdles) of Camarines Norte, Charles James Villapaña (110-m hurdles) of Misamis Occidental, Philip Chris Rico (1500-m run) of Tarlac, Jay-R Regency (2000-m walk) of Zamboanga del Norte, and Lys Jane Timbal (2000-m walk) of Davao de Oro.
In relay events, Iloilo’s Marthonne Andrie Dumolong, Zian Gabriel Galaura, Jake Pablo, and Zachary Pallares topped the elementary boys’ 4x100-m relay with a time of 47.31 seconds. Meanwhile, Norlyn Abedo, Trixia Anne Arellano, Maria Athena De Guiño, and Princess Lin Yanson reset the record in the elementary girls’ 4x100-m relay with 51.78 seconds.