SPEAKER and Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino "Bojie" Dy III urged athletes to compete with pride and integrity in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa, which he described as an opportunity for them to build character, make friends, and learn.
"The Palarong Pambansa is a celebration of the hard work, discipline, teamwork, and dreams of the Filipino youth," Dy said in Filipino and English in a video message on Sunday, posted ahead of the games' opening.
"It goes beyond sports — it is an opportunity for our youth to build character, form lifelong friendships, learn the value of perseverance, and discover how far hard work and determination can take them," he said.
Dy told all who have reached the games that they could already be considered winners "because of your dedication and perseverance that you showed."
"To our athletes: compete with passion, play with integrity, and represent your schools and communities, and regions with pride and honor", Dy said.
The May 24–31, 2026, Palarong Pambansa features new sports.
"Palarong Pambansa continues to evolve alongside the aspirations of our learners. This year, we are opening more spaces for participation, recognizing more forms of athletic excellence, and creating a competition environment that is fairer and more inclusive for every student-athlete," Angara said in a statement on Friday.
"We believe that through a fairer and more inclusive Palarong Pambansa this year, every young athlete will be given greater opportunities to show their talent, potential, and excellence," he said.
Weightlifting, football for secondary girls, and futsal for elementary girls were added "to the list of regular sports and events," the DepEd said in the Friday statement.
"The games will also showcase demonstration sports including Karate, Kickboxing, and Soft Tennis, while Muay Thai and selected Paragames events — namely Sitting Volleyball and Table Tennis — will be featured as exhibition events to support greater inclusivity in school sports," it said.
The DepEd added that participation this year "expands with the return of the Negros Island Region (NIR) as a separate regional delegation."
The Philippine Schools Overseas and the National Academy of Sports, the DepEd said, "will field independent delegations, broadening the reach of the competition and allowing more learners to represent their communities and institutions."
The department added that it would implement updated policies for some of the events. "These include a modified Winner-Take-All policy for team sports such as baseball, basketball, football, futsal, sepak takraw, softball, and volleyball; the continuation of qualifying standards for athletics, swimming, and archery; and the Home Region Representation Policy," it said.
"Eligible athletes from the National Training Pool and National Developmental Pool are also now welcomed to participate," the DepEd said.
