30/05/2026
THIS IS A LONG READ | Thank You from the Davao City National High School Volleyball Boys
To our family, supporters, and the entire DCNHS community — this bronze shines because of you.
Our journey to the podium did not start this year. It began in the summer of 2025, when a group of young boys chose to sweat it out on court alongside the Palaro 2025 players who are preparing for the Palaro in Ilocos Norte. The seniors passed the torch early — teaching us the DCNHS standard: discipline before talent, team before self. From that summer, training never stopped; a system belief culture by Head Coach Melchien C. Garcia and Assistant Coach Archie Aparice.
There were mornings when our legs were still sore from the night before, and evenings when we ran drills long after the sun set over Davao under the watchful eye of the Mami Melanie Ramirez, who hammered us to be ready as always. We missed birthdays, fiestas, and quiet dinners at home. We chose a life away from the comfort of over our own beds, ice baths over comfort, and repetition over rest. There was pain — in sprained ankles, in losses that stung, in moments we doubted. But every sacrifice was a down payment on one goal: Palaro 2026, and a podium finish for Davao.
'Sunya lang, meditate and pray' became our mantra. Sunya lang when the sets got tight and the crowd got loud. Meditate when pressure crept in, to find calm in the chaos of the court. Pray before every serve, after every loss, and in thanks for every win. It kept us grounded when we were ahead, and kept us fighting when we were down. That mindset carried us through non-stop training and all the days we were away from the comfort of family and we have Lady Bam to thank you.
To prepare, we stepped outside our age group. We are grateful for every exposure meet and tune-up game against older talay teams who humbled us, tested us, and forced us to grow faster. From DepEd meets to invitationals outside DepEd, each match was a lesson. Thank you to the tournament organizers who opened doors for us.
To the people who carried us here, this medal belongs to more than the 15 boys on the floor. It belongs to: The Board of Damshie Directors, Ajee Garcia, Titing Solon, Remy Dimalanta, Morfo Pleños, Nelu, Atty. Alpha Faith Macailing of Aelisse, Karlo Aaron Respecio, Josan Perez Jr., and Kirk Buduan, Gen Z Prime Review Center, Hanna Sevilla, Alex Anthony, Edmund Superada Jr., Anicka Jones, Neneng Leonila Alfeche, Charimar Manacap, School Principal Evelyn E. Magno, School Department Heads, SDS Rey Solitario, DepEd Davao City, RD Allan Farnazo, DEPED Region XI and the City Government of Davao, for backing grassroots sports and giving us a city to fight for.
To our parents — thank you for the hardest kind of trust: surrendering your sons to our system. You let us train through holidays, bought into strict rules, and prayed us through every trip. You gave us to the team, and we hope we’ve made you proud.
To the past players and coaches of DCNHS Volleyball — you built the culture of excellence we now protect. Every banner in our gym, every story of your own Palaro runs, set the standard. This bronze is a product of the system you started. This is for you as well.
The summer of 2025 taught us that comfort never won championships. So we left comfort behind. And in Agsur 2026, when the final whistle blew, we stood on the podium — tired, bruised, but together.
Maraming salamat. This is DCNHS. This is Davao.
— The Davao City National High School Volleyball Boys, Palaro Tu Agsur 2026 Bronze Medalists
📸 Januard Limikid
