But the 485-Davao contingent got better than its performance last year in Koronadal City – thanks to the wonderful showing of its boxers and archers who won a gold few hours before flying back to Davao City on Saturday morning.
Garnering a total of 73.5 points, DAVRAA climbed from seventh to sixth rank in the secondary division which has been dominated by National Capital Region (NCR) for four consecutive years.
The Big City bets gained 375 points to reaffirm their supremacy in the annual games, the biggest national competition for elementary and secondary students nationwide.
Western Visayas came at far second with 213.17 in the point's system matrix multi-event meet followed by Calabarzon and Central Visayas with 205.6 and 126.17 points respectively.
Cotabato Region ended its weeklong campaign at 7th place followed by the host MIMAROPA (43), Cordillera Autonomous Region (40), Northern Mindanao (33), Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (25) Zamboanga Peninsula (14), Ilocos Region (12), Cagayan Valley (9), Eastern Visayas (5) and Caraga (6.27).
In elementary class, Davao Region, which placed 8th last year, showed poorly placing 10th over-all with 26 points as NCR retained its elementary title three years in a row.
NCR gathered a total of 263 points edging Calabarzon, the 2005 champion, with 226.5 followed by Western Visayas with 219.
Central Visayas and Central Luzon came in 4th and 5th bringing in 140 and 53. 5 point's respectively way ahead of Northern Mindanao (47.5), Cotabato Region (46.5), Ilocos Region (45), host MIMOROPA (29), Caraga (20.5), Zamboanga Peninsula (17), Eastern Visayas (15), Bicol (13.5), Cordillera Autonomous Region (6), Cagayan Valley (5.5) and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (0).
"We didn't won the over-all, our athletes have just won several medals but the happiness and the experience our athletes have experienced here in Palawan and playing in the Palarong Pambansa will remain part of the history of their own lives," said Dr. Susana Teresa Estigoy, Department of Education Davao Region director.
Bannered by the ace archers from Davao City and Davao Del Sur, the four-man archery team tallied 183 points to clinch the gold in secondary boy's Team Olympic Round.
The golden performance of Davao City 's Roberto Beltran, 14, and Dioscoro Masqueza, 16, and Davao Del Sur's Rodolfo Rivas Jr., 17, and Ranzel Gealon, 17, upset Central Visayas which registered 163 points.
Bicol Region took the bronze.
We are very happy and proud that we were able to contribute a gold to our region, "said the incoming 3rd year high school student at the A.L. Navarro National High School Beltran, the fourth of the seven children of a tricycle driver-father.
Davao Region settled for bronze medal in secondary boy's football after losing to central Visayas, 2 – 1 at the Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. Sports Complex.
Its secondary boy's table tennis team composed of Zoren Patrick Mendiola, John Wayne Licarte and Glen and Gil Ablanque also took bronze medal.
DAVRAA's sepak takraw squad also copped bronze medal.
Sharmaine Maquiling, a standout from Tagum City , was the lone DAVRAA medalist in secondary taekwondo pocketing the girl's fin-weight class.
In elementary, Davao Region hauled 3 silvers and a bronze medal in taekwondo. Its silver medals were courtesy of Tagum City's Roxy Palermo and Daniel Carlo Perez in boy's class and Grechele Anne Bacus of Davao City in distaff side.
Palermo collared silver medal after bowing down to Cordillera Autonomous Region's Carl Kevin Daniel in the boy's 120 to 128 cm category while Perez lost to Riel Joshua Latoza in their over 152 to 160 cm division.
Bacus bowed to Inah Shene Berly Umadhay of Western Visayas . (Rico Biliran/MindaNews)