CARAA 2026 Opens with Strong Call: Usec. Panontongan challenges schools to shape future champions by investing in sports development

Baguio City, Philippines – Leading the opening of the highly anticipated 2026 Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) Meet on Sunday morning, Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary Fatima Lipp D. Panontongan challenged schools across the Cordillera to invest more in sports development.

“Ang hamon ko po sa ating mga paaralan dito sa CAR, be active, discover talent, develop character because the next national champion may be standing here today,” she said before delegates, officials, and spectators gathered at the Benguet Sports Complex for the weeklong competition’s kickoff.

The keynote speaker underscored that “champions are not built by talent alone; they are built in systems that believe in them.”

She commended the region’s performance at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa, where Cordilleran athletes brought home 17 gold medals in combative sports such as taekwondo, wushu, and wrestling, as well as in archery.

As part of the government’s efforts to strengthen sports development, Panontongan shared that the institutionalization of School Sports Clubs last year increased the number of clubs from 17,000 to 24,000 in just a few months.

To support the staging of the 2026 CARAA Meet, she noted that the DepEd Central Office allocated P5.3 million. The agency also continues to strengthen varsity pathways through partnerships with the Philippine Sports Commission for grassroots development and the National Academy of Sports.

“Every child deserves a chance to move, compete, and grow… We do not just applaud victories. We invest in them,” she said.

What It Takes to Be a Champion

Usec. Panontongan emphasized that becoming a champion requires discipline, courage, and heart.

Champions, she said, are not made on the day of the tournament, but “in the early mornings, in the extra laps, on the days when they are already exhausted but still choose to get up and keep going.”

She explained that a medal is only the visible reward. The sacrifices, preparation, focus, and continuous improvement—often unseen—form the foundation that shapes champions.

She told the athletes that courage is not merely having the strength to defeat an opponent, but also having the willingness to recognize and confront one’s weaknesses. She shared her personal journey when she entered the Philippine Air Force, recalling how she once doubted herself because she knew she was not the strongest physically and would not receive the Strongest Woman Award.

Despite this, she recognized her strengths in academics and leadership. Armed with discipline and courage, she overcame her doubts and later earned both the Academic Excellence Award and the Leadership Award.

The proud iKalinga declared, “Cordillerans, we are warriors—and the strongest warriors are not those who never fall.”

“They are the ones who rise again. Nu matumba ka, agbangon ka. Nu maabak ka, agadal ka. Nu agkamali ka, agsubli ka a napigpigsa—that is tapang,” she added.

While skill and talent may make athletes competitive and take them far, Panontongan stressed that it is their “heart” that makes them unstoppable.

Having heart, she said, means having humility, respect, and remembering that one is never alone.

“The regional Palaro will end, but your character will stay,” she reminded them.

The 2026 CARAA Meet, carrying the theme “Sustaining a United and Healthier Cordillera through Sports,” will conclude with the awarding ceremony on Friday, February 27.

The DepEd undersecretary also reminded athletes who will qualify for the 2026 Palarong Pambansa that they will not only represent the Cordillera region, but every young Cordilleran who dreams big when they march in Agusan del Sur this April.