PALARO 2025: Western Visayas Wins Baseball Gold But Falls Short in Hoops

Western Visayas clinched the gold medal in secondary boys’ baseball at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa after a hard-fought 6-5 victory over CALABARZON on Friday.

The win marked a historic finale for the “Gwapo Baseball Team” from Talisay City, Negros Occidental, as the last batch to represent Region VI before the formation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) next year.

Western Visayas held off a late-game rally by CALABARZON to secure the narrow win and stand atop the podium in Ilocos Norte.

The regional champions displayed resilience and teamwork throughout the tournament, culminating in their one-run title-clincher.

Their triumph highlighted the growing baseball talent in Negros Occidental, a province long known for producing elite student-athletes.

Meanwhile, in the basketball finals, Davao Region captured its first-ever Palarong Pambansa secondary boys’ basketball title by defeating Western Visayas, 67-51, at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena.

Represented by Ateneo de Davao University, the Region 11 squad pulled away late after a tight first half, closing the game with a 21-14 fourth-quarter surge.

Jhonmark Pelegrino and Rene Clert Baterbonia poured in 19 points each to power Davao past a determined Western Visayas side led by St. Robert’s International College.

“Sobrang overwhelmed ko ngayon, sobrang happy ko pero si Lord lahat ‘yun,” said head coach Jess Evangelio in a report by GMA News Online. “Lahat naman ng teams nagpa-practice at nagsa-sacrifice everyday pero sinu-surrender namin lahat kay Lord.”

Western Visayas stayed competitive in the first half, thanks to 15-year-old guard Luke Rose who hit three three-pointers and scored 13 points in the second quarter to trim the lead to 27-24.

But Davao responded with a 14-3 run led by Baterbonia, turning a slim lead into a 41-27 advantage and never looked back.

“Ang hirap po ng pinagdaanan namin na araw-araw na practice po para lang po dito sa Palaro,” said Pelegrino. “Naging susi lang dito ay ‘yung pagsisikap po namin at pagtawag sa Panginoon lagi.”

Davao finished the tournament undefeated, sweeping all four elimination games before toppling Northern Mindanao in the quarterfinals and Central Luzon in the semifinals.