Mobile Legends debuts as lone Palarong Pambansa esports demo

MANILA, Philippines – Aspiring Filipino professional gamers at the grassroots level can now get a crack at elite competition as the Department of Education (DepEd) formally announced the inclusion of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in the 63rd Palarong Pambansa as its lone esports demonstration title.

DepEd, the Philippine Esports Organization (PeSO), and host Marikina City jointly shared details of the historic undertaking in the Palarong Pambansa press conference at the Marikina Sports Complex on Friday, July 21. The games begin Monday, July 31, and will run until August 5.

From its end, PeSO has also sparked its grassroots development plan with the launch of its new headquarters last July 4.

In its launch event, the organization touched on the topic of honing young players with the goals of improving Philippine esports’ foundation and casting bigger search nets for potential star gamers across the country.

Aiming for a big relaunch following a pandemic-induced four-year hiatus, the Palarong Pambansa is also set to include para games, dancesport, and pencak silat as other demo sports, and cheerdance, weightlifting, and obstacle course as exhibition events.

Also under a special spotlight from DepEd is the reintroduction of Laro ng Lahi or Indigenous Filipino Games, which aims to “ensure that the new generation will experience and help revive traditional Pinoy games,” per a department release.

According to DepEd memorandum No. 35, s. 2023, all regions must choose 10 members from their delegation to participate in the Palaro indigenous games, which for now are Kadang-kadang, Tumbang Preso, and Patintero.

As the biggest national grassroots sporting event, the 63rd Palarong Pambansa will shower around 1,573 medals to young standouts across regular sports, para games, and demo sports. – Rappler.com