SENATOR Francis Tolentino on Sunday lauded the successful hosting of the first regional leg of the 2023 Philippine ROTC Games.

The Visayas leg of the tournament featured cadet athletes from various Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units from different colleges and universities in Regions 6, 7, and 8. The athletes showcased their skills in different sports such as track and field, basketball, kickboxing, boxing, arnis, and volleyball.

Tolentino, who is the brainchild of the tournament, hailed the leadership of the Commission on Higher Education as well as the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Sports Commission for making the tournament possible.

Tolentino, together with Senator Robinhood Padilla, graced the PRG’s closing rites.

Padilla, who is also an advocate of the mandatory implementation of the ROTC program, promised to raise public awareness of the importance of having a strong military reserve force.

Meanwhile, Tolentino stressed that the lessons learned in the tournament held in Iloilo City will serve as a guide and benchmark for the organizers in the upcoming Mindanao and Luzon regional games in the next couple of weeks.

The Visayas leg of the tournament will be followed with PRG’s Mindanao Regional Games, which will be held in Zamboanga City from August 27 to September 2, while the Luzon Regional Games will kick off in Tagaytay City from September 17 until 23.

The cities of Manila and Pasig will host the NCR leg of the tournament from October 8 to 14 as well as the National Championships from October 22 to 27.

The Philippine ROTC Games will involve the ROTC units of the main service branches of armed forces of the Philippines—the Army, the Air Force and the Navy.