GENERAL SANTOS CITY — A finish worthy of a national youth showcase is brewing in Mindanao.

The 2025 Batang Pinoy National Championships is headed for a photo-finish conclusion, with defending overall champion Pasig City clinging to a narrow cushion over the City of Manila in the medal race as action winds down here.

As of 5 p.m. in the partial and unofficial standings, Pasig held a 38-25-29 haul, just ahead of Manila’s 36-31-25 output. Both delegations sat dead-even in total medals with 92 each, underscoring the high-stakes push heading into the final rounds.

Baguio remained within striking distance at third with 29 gold, 21 silver, and 24 bronze (74 total), followed by Quezon City (22-22-26, 70 total) and Santa Rosa, Laguna (21-18-18, 57 total), rounding out the top five.

Davao stuns, Arca dominates as final day heats up

On the competition floor, Davao City delivered one of the day’s biggest punches by stunning Negros Occidental in the boys’ 17U futsal final at Mindanao Polytechnic College, escaping with a 2–1 victory powered by back-to-back goals from Liam Hope Lumapas and Lleomer Polo in the 19th minute of the second half.

Zamboanga’s wunderkind IM Christian Gian Karlo Arca continued his ascent, ruling the boys’ chess events at Robinsons GenSan behind a massive five-gold performance, complemented by two silver and one bronze. His gold haul spanned multiple formats, including 960 rapid, standard, 960 blitz, ASEAN Rapid 16AC, and ASEAN Blitz.

Several events were still ongoing past the afternoon update, with the Philippine Sports Commission set to finalize and verify the official medal table.