By Nimfa L. Estrellado-Laurino A student-athlete clears a hurdle at full stride during the track-and-field competition of Palarong Quezo...
By Nimfa L. Estrellado-Laurino
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| A student-athlete clears a hurdle at full stride during the track-and-field competition of Palarong Quezon 2026, as fellow competitors and coaches watch from the sidelines. (DHT) |
GUMACA, Quezon — Beyond the medals, Quezon is moving to provide longer-term support for promising young athletes after Palarong Quezon 2026 highlighted both the province’s depth of talent and the financial barriers facing competitors seeking formal training. Governor Angelina “Helen” Tan said the Provincial Government and Sangguniang Panlalawigan are preparing an ordinance for scholarships aimed at selected athletes who can be developed for higher levels of competition.
Tan said the province hopes to fund the program next year, with priority sports to be identified in coordination with DepEd Quezon. The planned scholarships are intended especially for talented athletes whose families cannot shoulder the cost of specialized coaching and sustained training.
The proposal emerged as Palarong Quezon brought together student-athletes from 39 municipalities in 25 sporting events from September 9 to 12. Jointly organized by the Provincial Government and DepEd Quezon, the meet served as a major provincial stage for identifying competitors capable of advancing beyond local competition.
Tan said athletes developed through Quezon’s school-sports system have already competed in Asia, Europe and the United States, underscoring the potential of young competitors discovered through local and provincial meets. She said stronger government support is needed to keep financial limitations from cutting short that development.
“Maraming-marami tayo dito sa Quezon na magagaling. Just that, kulang ang suporta ng gobyerno especially lalo na kung ang pamilya naman ay walang kakayanan na ipadala ang kanilang anak sa isang formal na pagsasanay,” Tan said.
The governor said support for athletes currently extends from district meets to Palarong Quezon and higher competitions, with funds drawn from the Special Education Fund and partly from the General Fund. The proposed scholarship ordinance would add a more sustained form of assistance for selected athletes after their potential has been identified.
Schools Division Superintendent Romel C. Bautista said Palarong Quezon is part of a broader effort to prepare young athletes for more demanding competitions while developing discipline and dedication. His remarks reinforced the role of the meet as a starting point rather than an end point for promising competitors.
“Ito pong ating ginagawa, katulad ng mga banggit ng ating gobernador, ay paghahanda. Hindi lamang sa pagkakumpetisyon, bagkus ay paghahanda sa ating mga kabataan sa paghubog ng disiplina sa kanilang sarili, ng dedikasyon sa kanilang mga ginagawa upang sa bandang huli ay maging dangal sila ng ating lalawigan,” Bautista said.
Host Mayor Webster D. Letargo likewise urged athletes to look beyond medals and trophies as the measure of success. He said the character, discipline and resilience developed through competition remain among the most important gains from the provincial meet.
“Ang totoong panalo rito ay ang karakter na inyong nabubuo, ang disiplina sa bawat ensayo, ang pagbangon sa bawat pagkadapa at ang respeto sa inyong kapwa-atleta. You don’t just play to win, you play to grow,” Letargo said.
Gumaca’s secondary boys volleyball team later captured the provincial championship and earned the right to represent Quezon in the Regional Athletic Association Meet. Its advancement illustrated the pathway provincial officials want to strengthen: identifying talent locally, developing it through provincial competition and sustaining it with support toward higher levels.
With Palarong Quezon 2026 concluded, the proposed scholarship program now becomes the more consequential follow-through to the four-day meet. The challenge for Quezon is no longer only finding talented athletes, but ensuring that financial limitations do not prevent them from developing far enough to compete beyond the province.
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