The 67-member Philippine delegation, which includes 48 athletes, is scheduled to depart for Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday, Dec. 7, and Monday, Dec. 8, for the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games.

The bulk of the delegation, composed of athletes and officials from para archery, para athletics, boccia, goalball, para powerlifting, para swimming and para table tennis, will depart on Sunday, while the remaining members, including athletes from wheelchair basketball 3×3 and para badminton, will fly out on Monday.

The PH contingent will be led by chef de mission Milette Santiago-Bonoan, along with Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo and secretary-general Goody Custodio.

Around 1,500 para athletes from 35 Asian countries are expected to compete in the fifth edition of the Games, which will run from Dec. 7 to 14.

Para sports classification is set from Dec. 7 to 9, while the opening ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 10. Competition proper will be held from Dec. 10 to 14.

Filipino para athletes will see action in nine from the 11 sports, aiming to replicate or surpass the country’s performance in the previous edition held in Manama, Bahrain in 2021.

In that meet, the country bagged one gold, six silver and two bronze medals. That lone gold, along with two silver, came from para swimmer Ariel Joseph Alegarbes.

Other medalists in that edition include Ronn Russell Mitra and Daniel Enderes Jr. in para athletics, Linard Sultan and Mary Eloise Sable in para table tennis, and para swimmer Angel Otom, who later joined the senior ranks and represented the country in the 2024 Paris Paralympics.