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THE municipality of Las Nieves banked on its two first place, two runners-up and one bronze medal finishes to emerge overall champion in the Mindanao leg of the 2025 Indigeneous Peoples (IP) Games held last weekend in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.
Co-hosted by the provincial government of Agusan del Norte and the municipality of Buenavista, the annual event initiated by the Philippine Sports Commission event attracted around 500 participants from the 11 local government units, making it the biggest leg so far in the IP Games.
It was also the most supported as Gov. Maria Angelica Amante and Mayor Joselito Roble provided all the support needed for the successful staging of the games that is also supported by Schools Division Office of the Department of Education and the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP).
PULL One of the events featured in the Mindanao leg of the 2025 IP Games was the tug of war. PSC PHOTO
“We are very grateful to the Philippine Sports Commission for giving us this opportunity and we intend to make this traditional games competition a regular event here during the IP month of October,” said Amante.
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Roble, meanwhile, admitted he accepted the hosting job for the IP Games last year without even being familiar with the details.
“But with what we witnessed,” he said. “The coming together here of the different tribes in a friendly competition, it was all worth it.”
PSC commissioner Matthew Gaston, who is out of the country for official business, was represented by his executive assistant Lito Cinco in the opening ceremony.
“The two LGUs raised the bar to a new level and it will be a big challenge to duplicate it in the future,” Cinco said.
“The cultural night that was part of the event for the first time, we hope we can make it a regular one in future legs.”
Las Nieves won in the bag-ud and the palo sebo events, bagged the silver in lubok-humay and bangkaw, and finished third in takyang.
The second place overall was Cabadbaran while Nasipit claimed the number three spot.
The next leg will be in Iloilo.
