ALABEL, Sarangani (February 2, 2023) – If you build it, they will come.

Indeed, a total of 14 delegations are coming to former Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao’s Sarangani Sports Training Center that will be hosting for the first time the 2023 Little League Philippine Series, Mindanao Baseball and Softball Qualifying tournament.

On February 4-10, 35 competing teams from cities and provinces all over Mindanao will battle, rather bat, for the seven different age divisions for baseball and softball.

The delegations are coming from Valencia, Bukidnon; Gingoog City; Kidapawan City; Maguindanao Del Sur; Municipality of Malita, Davao Occidental; Maitum, Sarangani Province; Sarangani Province; Tacurong City; North Cotabato Province; Zamboanga Sibugay; Municipality of Aleosan, North Cotabato; Davao City; Maragusan, Davao De Oro; and Municipality of Medina, Misamis Oriental.

Alma Corazon Gabuat, Sarangani Provincial Sports Coordinator, said preparation for the event is “all set.”

Five diamond fields are ready for use and billeting quarters are already prepared for these Little Leaguers ages 11 to 16.

Little League Baseball is one of the popular youth-based programs in the world with over a million participants from 100 countries.

The Mindanao leg is a qualifying tournament for the Philippine series in Isabela City, which is an elimination event to select the country’s representative for the 2023 Asia-Pacific Tournament.

Previous champions during the Philippine Series Mindanao Leg held in Davao City on May 15, 2022 were:

• Baseball: Senior League Division – Davao City; Junior League – Tupi, South Cotabato; Intermediate 50/70 Division – Tupi, South Cotabato.
• Softball: Senior League – Kiamba, Sarangani Province; Junior League – Kiamba, Sarangani Province.

Gabuat hoped Sarangani batters this time will break their previous records and will again represent the Philippines to the Little League Intermediate Baseball Asia-Pacific Series like in 2016.

One of the agenda of the administration of Governor Rogelio D. Pacquiao is to create a culture of sports “that is leading edge promoting total human development.”

The Sarangani Sports Training Center is a state-of-the-art facility which serves as a training ground for student-athletes of the Sarangani National Sports Academy or SaNSA. (Beverly C. Paoyon and Jun Ramos/SARANGANI PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE)