ORMOC CITY– Sports officials, youth leaders, coaches, and local government executives from across Eastern Visayas convened in Ormoc City on Tuesday, August 4, for the Eastern Visayas Sports and Youth Summit, underscoring the region’s push to strengthen grassroots sports development and highlighting the city’s growing stature as a premier sports destination.
The two-day summit, held at the Ormoc City Sports Development Training and Convention Center, is jointly organized by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the National Youth Commission (NYC), the House of Representatives, and the Ormoc City Government.
Leyte Fourth District Rep. Richard Gomez and Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Marie Torres-Gomez welcomed participants, stressing the role of sports in promoting youth development, leadership, and community empowerment.
During the summit, Ormoc City Sports Office Officer-in-Charge Rafael Antonio Muñoz outlined the city’s sports development program, citing its sustained investment in athletes, coaches, and sports infrastructure that has helped elevate Ormoc into one of Eastern Visayas’ top-performing local government units in sports.
Muñoz said Ormoc has captured six consecutive overall championships in the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association (EVRAA) Meet from 2018 to 2026, excluding the pandemic years when the competition was suspended. He added that the city also improved its standing in the Batang Pinoy national games, rising from 81st place in 2022 to 15th place in 2025.
He attributed these achievements to the city’s long-term investment in athlete development through programs such as the Support to Athletes in Pursuit of Accomplishing Total Life-changing Opportunities in Sports (S.A.P.A.T.O.S.), which provides training, equipment, and other assistance to local athletes.
As part of its long-term strategy, the city government is also developing a more than three-hectare sports village in Barangay Juaton that will feature world-class facilities capable of hosting regional and national competitions while boosting sports tourism.
Among the flagship projects are the P103-million Badminton Center, a 1,300-square-meter BMX Pump Track and Skate Plaza, two padel courts, and the P120-million Ormoc City Convention Center. Since 2022, the city government has allocated about P2 billion for sports infrastructure development.
The existing Ormoc City Sports Complex is likewise undergoing expansion with additional facilities, including an athletics oval, grandstand, athletes’ dormitory, boxing gym with a new boxing ring developed in partnership with the PSC, as well as fencing and modern pentathlon halls.
Gomez said these investments are intended to position Ormoc as Eastern Visayas’ leading sports hub while supporting the national government’s efforts to develop more competitive Filipino athletes by providing modern training and competition venues.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman John Patrick C. Gregorio said the agency is committed to expanding regional sports development programs and strengthening support for athletes, while National Youth Commission Chairperson Joseph Francisco R. Ortega emphasized that sports remain an effective platform for developing leadership, discipline, and civic responsibility among the youth.
Organizers said the summit aims to strengthen collaboration among government agencies, local government units, sports organizations, coaches, and youth leaders in building a more inclusive and sustainable grassroots sports development program across Eastern Visayas.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
