Bacolod gears up for Batang Pinoy 2026

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — More than 15,000 delegates are expected to participate in this year’s Batang Pinoy, which will be hosted by the Bacolod City government in December.

Mayor Greg Gasataya attended the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at the Philippine Sports Commission Main Building inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, where the Batang Pinoy 2026 logo and branding were unveiled.

Gasataya was joined by PSC Chairman John Patrick “Pato” Gregorio at the forum.

“Bacolod is all in when it comes to hosting Batang Pinoy,” Gasataya said, expressing confidence in the city’s readiness to accommodate the delegates.

Gasataya cited strong private sector support, more than 4,000 hotel rooms, and numerous Airbnb accommodations available for delegates and visitors.

He said he is also looking forward to the completion of the Bacolod Coliseum, which is expected in the third quarter of the year.

Gasataya also announced the development of a mobile sports application that will provide game schedules and athlete profiles online.

The national youth sports meet is slated for Dec. 12 to 18 and will feature student-athletes ages 8 to 15 from across the country.

Batang Pinoy is an annual national youth sports program of the Philippines for athletes 15 years old and younger, created through Executive Order No. 44 signed on Dec. 2, 1998.

Gasataya thanked the PSC for once again selecting Bacolod as host of the Batang Pinoy Games after the city staged the inaugural edition of the national youth meet in 1999 and later hosted the event in 2001 and 2014.

“Aside from having the best chicken inasal, the world-famous MassKara Festival, and the warm hospitality of our people, we envision Bacolod as the premier regional sports destination,” Gasataya said in a statement.

The mayor said the city’s recent hosting of the Negros Island Regional Athletic Association Meet, the National Private Schools Athletic Association competitions, and the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers 2026 reflects its push to become a sports hub.

PSC Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo announced that Batang Pinoy 2026 will feature 30 sports disciplines, including golf, skateboarding, bowling, and baseball.

The other sports are archery, arnis, aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, dancesport, futsal, gymnastics, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, kickboxing, muay Thai, pencak silat, sepak takraw, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and wushu.

Gregorio highlighted the strong partnership between the PSC and Bacolod City in staging Batang Pinoy and other sports development initiatives.

He said the involvement and commitment of the mayor and governor will help pave the way for the event’s success.

Last month, the PSC formalized its partnership with the city for the staging of Batang Pinoy 2026 through a memorandum of agreement.

Gregorio also emphasized the alignment between Batang Pinoy and the Palarong Pambansa, noting that strengthening grassroots sports development for athletes ages 8 to 15 would better prepare them for national and international competitions.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rolando Puno reiterated the DILG’s commitment to encouraging local government units to deepen their support for grassroots sports.