SENATE Majority Leader Francis Tolentino is set to spearhead the opening of the Mindanao qualifying leg of the Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Games, or the Philippine ROTC Games, in Zamboanga City this Sunday.

The venue of the week-long event is no other than the cavernous Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Center in Zamboanga City.

More than 1,800 ROTC cadet athletes from different public and private tertiary schools in Mindanao will compete in various sports and military drills from June 23 to 28.

The events include aquatics/swimming, arnis, athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, E-sports, kickboxing, sepak takraw, taekwondo, table tennis, volleyball, target shooting, and the ‘raiders’ competition.

“The Philippine ROTC Games aim to showcase the skills and talents of the Filipino youth who are participating voluntarily as cadets, and who could also be tapped for our national pool of athletes,” Tolentino said.

The senator, a long-time advocate of sports and the youth’s welfare, also explained the difference between the ROTC Games and other collegiate leagues.

“The UAAP is Manila-based, the NCAA is just private schools and also Manila-based. The SCUAA is nationwide and involves state universities and colleges, but no private schools,” he pointed out.

“On the other hand, both public and private tertiary schools participate in the ROTC Games, and the league’s coverage is nationwide. And so the nature of competition is different and the level is high,” added the senator.

The Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) is known for producing world-class Filipino athletes, including weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who slammed home the country’s first-ever Olympic gold during the 2021 Tokyo Games, as well as Eumir Marcial, who snatched bronze in boxing at the same edition of the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Luzon qualifiers of the Philippine ROTC Games will be held in Indang, Cavite from July 28 to August 3.

The national championships are scheduled for August 18-24, also in Indang, Cavite.