Sports

Mayor Greg Gasataya at the consultative meeting on Thursday.*BCCO photoMayor Greg Gasataya gathered city officials and local hospitality leaders for a consultative meeting  on Thursday, Aug. 6, to establish an official Accommodation Directory ahead of Bacolod’s hosting of the Batang Pinoy 2026 National Championships from Dec. 12 to 18. Gasataya, at the meeting held at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City,  rallied the support of 209 registered accommodation operators—representing hotels, tourist inns, pension houses, short-term rentals, transient homes, staycation units, and private properties—emphasizing their crucial role in the successful hosting of the national sporting event.“This is one of the biggest sporting events in the country in terms of delegation,”  ...

Bacolod racer Manuel “Boodgie” Chua Jr.*Bacolod racer Manuel “Boodgie” Chua Jr. recently took home two trophies from races at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.Chua, 43, who owns the BKC Racing Team, won the Track Attack Challenge Group 1 in the 2026 Petron Philippine Motorsport Championships on July 25. The following day, July 26, he placed second in the Unlimited Class Circuit Attack.A Bacolod-based businessman, Chua was also named overall first runner-up in the 2024 Petron Philippine Motorsport Championships’ Sailun Tire Track Attack Challenge in Batangas. He also received a Golden Wheel Award for completing  in that season.Although Chua has always loved racing, he only began competing in official events in 2024.“If you really like racing and love spe...

Alex Eala celebrating her victory.*WTA Facebook page photo“At the end of the fight, heart spoke. Alex Eala's victory is a victory for every Filipino who doesn't know how to give up,”  Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District) wrote on his Facebook post today, August 4.Benitez was reacting to Eala’s  win at the Mubadala Citi DC Open Final in Washington, where she made history as the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Tour title by beating world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also earlier congratulated Eala on Facebook for her historic achievement.“You continue to redefine what is possible for Philippine tennis and inspire countless young Filipinos to dream without limits,” he...

Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya has formally asked the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) to conduct an immediate investigation into alleged game manipulation during the July 28 match between the Bulacan Kuyas and the Bacolod MassKara.In a letter dated Thursday, July 30, addressed to MPBL officials, Gasataya cited widespread public concern over the Bacolod team's performance during its 100-64 loss at the Pasay Astrodome.The mayor said the team's nearly eight-minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter, unusual player rotations, and several missed scoring opportunities fueled online speculation about possible game-fixing."As a huge basketball fan myself, I am mindful that scoring slumps may occur. But the passive on-court deme...

Team Philippines from Sagay City in Negros Occidental * Sagay City Tourism and Information Office photoSagay City in Negros Occidental won the championship in the Girls 14 Under Division of the 2026 PONY International Softball World Series held in McAllen, Texas in the United States on Monday (Philippine time).The Negrense softbelles swept Mexico’s RXII Kino Team in the finals to clinch the title after finishing only fourth in last year’s tournament.“Rising above more than 30 teams, our young athletes battled through 11 games from the elimination round to the championship,” Sagay City OIC-Schools Division Superintendent Dannie Clark Uguil said in a Facebook post.Uguil said the Negrense student-athletes’ “remarkable achievement reflects the power of teamwork, discipline, res...

 Mayor Greg Gasataya is optimistic about getting the sports facilities in Bacolod   ready for the city's hosting of the Batang Pinoy 2026 in December, particularly the Bacolod MassKara Coliseum.As of Wednesday, the PHP850-million indoor arena located at the boundary of Alijis and Tangub is under construction, with 76 percent completion reported this June.In a statement, Gasataya said the coliseum is expected to be completed in the third quarter of the year.“Bacolod is all in when it comes to hosting Batang Pinoy,” he said.Gasataya joined the Philippine Sports Commission officials led by Chairman John Patrick Gregorio, as well as executives from the Department of Education and Department of the Interior and Local Government, in sharing preparation updates duri...

The crime scene  in Pontevedra*The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has expressed full confidence in the Bacolod City’s readiness to host Batang Pinoy 2026 from December 12 to 18.Speaking during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, June 23, at the PSC Main Building inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, PSC Chairman John Patrick “Pato” Gregorio highlighted the strong partnership between the PSC and Bacolod City in staging Batang Pinoy and other sports development initiatives, a Bacolod City Communications Office press release said.“That’s what I always say when asked about the criteria for considering an LGU, a city, or a province to host a PSC event in partnership with DepEd and DILG. It’s important to note how involved the mayor a...

Sophia Louie Begre-Lacson in Thailand*Seventeen-year-old Filipino showjumping athlete Sophia Louie Begre-Lacson delivered an outstanding performance for the Philippines at the second leg of the FEI Asia-Pacific Rising Star Academy (APRA) held in Pattaya, Thailand, from June 15 to 20, capturing first place in the morning competition and finishing fourth in the afternoon’s jump-off class.Representing the Philippines as the country’s sole rider in the prestigious regional development program, Sophia competed against some of Asia-Pacific’s most promising young equestrians in the Academy’s CSIY-B competitions, her mother Antoinette Begre-Lacson said Monday, June 22.The final competition day featured two classes: a Two-Phase CSIY-B in the morning and a CSIY-B with Jump-Off in the aft...