Logo and branding

The logo and theme for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa was unanimously approved and unveiled by the Organizing Committee on 27 January 2015. The official logo of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa is inspired from the games' theme "Sports: Breaking Borders, Building Peace."^[20]

The primary element of the logo is a stylized dove which signifies peace, carrying with it an olive branch with 17 leaves representing the 17 regions of the Philippines. Three flaming tails emerge from the dove which stand for the diversity of the tri-peoples (Lumads or indigenous people, Muslims, and Christians) who participate in the Palarong Pambansa. It is emblazoned with an elaborate okir motif (a traditional artistic motif used by the Islamic tribes), a fish (standing for Christianity), and beadworks of the lumads. The dove also has the outline of the letter P, the first letter of the words "Palarong Pambansa," and the colors of the dove are taken from the Philippine flag.^[20]

Below the dove is a banana leaf with the words "Davao del Norte," which represents the chief agricultural produce of the province which is the banana; due to this, Davao del Norte is nicknamed as the "Banana Capital of the Philippines." According to Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario, the banana leaf also embodies the resilience of the Dabaonon people, who constantly emerge stronger and better from natural calamities, "just like the ever-enduring banana plant."^[20]

Music

The official theme song for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa is entitled Palaro ng Pagkakaisa (The Games of Unity), written and composed by Davao-based songwriter and singer Maan Chua, and arranged by Paolo Sisi. The music video for the song was directed by Willie Apa Jr., and featured the DNSTC and several tourist destinations within Davao del Norte, including Samal Island, Talaingod, Christ the King Cathedral in Tagum (the largest Catholic cathedral in the region and houses the largest wooden rosary in the world), and the New City Hall of Tagum. The music video features the national promoters for the games, namely 15-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in athletics Elma Muros, two-time Olympian in swimming Eric Buhain, and former Azkals player Yannick Tuason, alongside their respective younger counterparts: Mariafe Basong, a runner from the indigenous tribes of Talaingod, Davao del Norte, Roger Porton Jr., a swimmer from Samal Island, and Kier James Macaren, a football player from Davao City.

TV and Radio Advertisements

The first TV teaser was shown to the public on 1 March 2015, a one-minute and twenty second TV advertisement with several aerial shots of the DNSTC and archived video footage from previous Palaro games, alongside a forty-second radio advertisement. A month before the games, the official thirty-second TV ad was shown by the media sponsors and through the 2015 Palarong Pambansa website. It features the promoters (Muros, Buhain, and Tuazon) together with their counterparts, similar to that with the music video; this TV advertisement was also directed by Willie Apa Jr.

Calendar

All times and dates are PST (UTC+8, GMT+0800)

OC

Opening ceremony

●

Event competitions

1

Gold medals

CC

Closing ceremony

Regular Games
May		3 Sun		4 Mon		5 Tue		6 Wed		7 Thu		8 Fri		9 Sat		Gold medals
–		AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	–
Ceremonies					OC										CC	N/A
Archery		●				●		●		●		●				16
Arnis		●		●		●		●		●		●				18
Aquatics						●		●		●		●				60
Athletics		●				●		●		●		●				88
Badminton		●				●		●		●		●				16
Baseball		●		●		●		●		●		●				2
Basketball		●				●		●		●		●		●		4
Boxing							●		●		●		●			5
Chess		●				●		●		●		●				16
Football		●				●		●		●		●		●		2
Gymnastics		●		●		●		●		●		●				43
Sepak Takraw	Elem.	●		●		●		●		●		●				6
	Sec.	●
Softball		●		●		●		●		●		●				2
Table Tennis		●				●		●		●		●				12
Taekwondo						●		●		●		●				48
Tennis		●				●		●		●		●				12
Volleyball	Sec. G	●		●		●		●		●		●				4
	Others													●
Total																354
–		AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	AM	PM	–
May		Sun		Mon		Tue		Wed		Thu		Fri		Sat		Gold medals
Reference: 2015 Palaro Pambansa Official Website[30]

Demonstration Games May 3 Sun 4 Mon 5 Tue 6 Wed 7 Thu 8 Fri 9 Sat Gold medals – AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM – Billiards ● ● ● ● 4 Futsal ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 Wrestling ● ● 10 Wushu ● ● ● 10 Beach Volleyball ● ● TBD TBA – AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM – Total 25 May 3 Sun 4 Mon 5 Tue 6 Wed 7 Thu 8 Fri 9 Sat Gold medals Reference: 2015 Palaro Pambansa Official Website[30]

Special Games May 3 Sun 4 Mon 5 Tue 6 Wed 7 Thu Gold medals AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM – Bocce ● ● ● ● 6 Goal Ball ● ● ● ● 1 Athletics ● ● ● ● 53 Aquatics ● ● ● 30 – AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM – Total 90 May 3 Sun 4 Mon 5 Tue 6 Wed 7 Thu Gold medals Reference: 2015 Palaro Pambansa Official Website[30]

Opening ceremony

After the welcome parade.

17 athletes from all participating regions lit the cauldron with a symbolic torch representing the tri-peoples of Davao del Norte.

Field demonstration of selected students and teachers from Davao del Norte, Tagum, Panabo, and Samal.

Pyromusical show.

The opening ceremony took place on 4 May, 4:00 PM PST on the second day of the games at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex.^[12] It was originally scheduled to take place on the first day of the games but was moved to avoid an "audience clash" with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on May 2 (or May 3, PST).^[31]

The welcome parade for the delegates started at 3:00 PM PST at the Provincial Government Center, where they marched to DNSTC. By tradition, the delegates came in order of region (I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIII, ARMM, CAR, and NCR), with the host region (XI) entering last. The delegates performed their respective saludo or welcome greeting as they marched down the track and arrived in front of the podium. Some regions also featured their most popular attractions, icons, personalities, and festivals during the parade; Region IV-B (Mimaropa) had athletes wear masks from the Moriones festival, Region VI (Western Visayas) had delegates wearing costumes from the Dinagyang and Ati-Atihan festivals, the Region VII (Central Visayas) had dancers from the Sinulog festival, and Region XII (Soccsksargen) marched with colorful costumes and flags, a banner that reads "Region XII is K-12 ready" (a tribute to the K-12 Program recently adopted by the country), and another banner with the face of its "finest Soccsksargen warrior" Manny Pacquiao. Not to be beaten, the hosts brought a huge replica of the Philippine eagle alongside images depicting the provinces as tribesmen. After the delegates' parade, the technical officials followed. Paratroopers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines performed an aerial paradrop afterwards, carrying with them flags of the Palarong Pambansa and of Davao del Norte.

Seventeen athletes led by 2014 Palarong Pambansa table tennis champion Kyla Cielo Bernaldez of Panabo City, Davao del Norte lit the cauldron with a three-piece torch that was inspired from the tri-peoples of Davao del Norte: a top piece inspired by the tambara, an altar where the traditional aboriginal tribes (lumad) offer to their spirits, a middle piece featuring authentic Islamic beadwork and sequins, and a bottom piece which looks like a chalice, symbolizing the Christian faith. The torch was designed by Banjo Sappore Jr. from the Ford Academy of the Arts.^[32]

Just after the speech of Davao del Norte governor Rodolfo del Rosario at around 4:30 PM PST, the hot and sunny afternoon turned into a rainy one, prompting both DILG and DepEd secretaries, Mar Roxas and Bro. Armin Luistro to call for the rushing of the opening ceremonies. Roxas expressed concern that the rain may affect the health of the Palaro athletes,^[33] and then led the crowd to chants. Luistro informally opened the games by hollering the already-soaked but visibly enjoying students (who endured marching under a hot summer afternoon) with the words "Class dismissed!"^[34]

Many parts of the opening program were omitted or shortened because of force majeure. Despite the heavy downpour of rain, almost 1,000 students and teachers from across all cities and municipalities of Davao del Norte performed a thirty-minute field demonstration, much to the delight and amazement of the crowd.^[34] The opening ceremony ended with a ten-minute pyromusical show and a lights-and-sounds show at the Provincial Capitol Building and Capitol Park at 7:00 PM PST.

• 
  Ilocos
• 
  Cagayan Valley
• 
  Central Luzon
• 
  Southern Tagalog-Calabarzon
• 
  Southern Tagalog-Mimaropa
• 
  Western Visayas
• 
  Central Visayas
• 
  Eastern Visayas
• 
  Zamboanga Peninsula
• 
  Northern Mindanao
• 
  Soccsksargen
• 
  Caraga
• 
  Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
• 
  Cordillera Administrative Region
• 
  National Capital Region
• 
  Davao
• 
  Technical Officials
• 
  Paratroopers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines performing an aerial paradrop.

Sports

Closing ceremony

Delegates celebrated the Closing Ceremony with a rave party and pyromusical show at DNSTC.

AFP Paratroopers perform a paradrop at DNSTC bringing banners reading "DavNor Best Palaro Ever," "Till We Meet Again," and "Maraming salamat po!"

The Closing Ceremony of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa was again held at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex on 9 May, 3:00 PM PST. Fears of weather or black bug attacks were set aside as the organizers promoted it as the "Biggest, Grandest, and Wildest Closing Ceremony Ever." Many of the highlights during the opening ceremony were done once more as requested by Provincial Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario, who shared the general sentiment of the athletes and public that "bad weather and rice black bugs took away the glory during the opening program."^[38] As a way to entice delegates to stay until the closing ceremony, the province gave PHP50,000 to the delegation with the most number of participants during the closing ceremony;^[38] ARMMAA won this award with 388 delegates present during the Unity March.

The closing ceremony started with a Unity Parade around the track oval, as delegates paraded down the track oval with words of thanksgiving and appreciation. They were then grouped not according to their region but to their sport. The Armed Forces of the Philippines paratroopers did another exhibition paradrop during the ceremony, carrying banners that read "DavNor Best Palaro Ever," "Till We Meet Again," and "Maraming salamat po!"

Messages of commitment and thanksgiving were rendered by Department of Education Assistant Undersecretary Tonisito Umali, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Ricardo Garcia (represented by Commissioner Jose Luis "Jolly" Gomez), and representative Anthony del Rosario of the First District of Davao del Norte (who also spoke in behalf of Representative Anton Lagdameo, Jr. of the Second District of Davao del Norte). All speakers shared the same sentiment: the Province of Davao del Norte has indeed hosted the "best Palaro ever." Rep. del Rosario added that the House Bill No. 2393, an act for the establishment of the Davao Sports Academy, has reached the Senate Committee on Sports and will be deliberated shortly, adding that DNSTC "will become the most active sports complex in the country," even after it successfully hosted many of the Palarong Pambansa events. Commissioner Gomez even declared that Davao del Norte and DNSTC is capable of hosting the Southeast Asian Games already, and Undersecretary Umali quoted that the province also hosted the "best Palaro closing ceremony ever" in his speech.

An audio-visual presentation featuring Palarong Pambansa athletes and coaches was presented; in it they gave their reviews, remarks, and utmost appreciation about Davao del Norte's hosting, confirming that the province indeed hosted "the best Palaro ever" throughout all the years that they competed in the games. One of the interviewees, a volleyball coach from ARMMAA, emphasized that this was the first Palaro games where coaches and transportation managers did not fight over the use of the jeepneys and other vehicles over their transportation needs.

The closing ceremony culminated with the extinguishing of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa ceremonial flame by the Bureau of Fire Protection Unified Fire Marshals, a message of thanksgiving from the Provincial Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario, and the repeat performance of the mass field demonstration by selected students and teachers of Davao del Norte, which was immediately followed by a pyromusical show and rave party at DNSTC Football Pitch A featuring guest DJs from Davao City, as the Unified Fire Marshals provided two fire engines to soak the athletes wet as they partied.

The overall champion region for the 2015 Palarong Pambansa remains to be the National Capital Region Athletic Association, now on its 11th year. Southern Tagalog - Calabarzon Athletic Association came second and the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association finished in third place. The Davao Regional Athletic Association, hosts of this years' Palarong Pambansa, finished in ninth place.

Regular Games

Final and official result as of May 9, 2015, 13:30 PST (UTC+8)^[40][41][42]

Rank	Region	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	NCRAA	98	67	71	236
2	STCAA	51	41	49	141
3	WVRAA	42	48	41	131
4	CARAA	24	22	16	62
5	NMRAA	19	14	39	72
6	CVRAA	18	29	29	76
7	CLRAA	17	10	21	48
8	SRAA	13	24	28	65
9	DavRAA	13	23	30	66
10	BRAA	9	14	19	42
11	EVRAA	6	3	9	18
12	CaVRAA	4	8	10	22
13	MRAA	4	5	7	16
14	ARMMAA	3	2	5	10
15	CARAGARAA	2	7	4	13
16	ZPRAA	2	6	9	17
17	RIAA	2	4	24	30
Totals (17 entries)		327	327	411	1065

Demonstration Sports

Final and official result as of May 9, 2015, 12:00 PST (UTC+8)^[40][41][42]

  *   Host nation ( DavRAA)

Rank	Region	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	WVRAA	7	4	2	13
2	CARAA	6	6	3	15
3	RIAA	5	2	4	11
4	DavRAA*	4	4	9	17
5	CVRAA	3	5	3	11
6	BRAA	2	5	4	11
7	SRAA	2	1	0	3
8	CLRAA	2	0	3	5
	NCRAA	2	0	3	5
10	EVRAA	1	3	10	14
11	NMRAA	1	2	1	4
12	CaVRAA	1	0	1	2
13	ZPRAA	0	4	2	6
14	ARMMAA	0	1	2	3
15	MRAA	0	0	2	2
16	STCAA	0	0	1	1
17	CARAGARAA	0	0	0	0
Totals (17 entries)		36	37	50	123

Special Games

Final and official result as of May 9, 2015 12:00 PST (UTC+8)^[40][41][42]

  *   Host nation ( DavRAA)

Rank	Region	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	WVRAA	13	10	8	31
2	STCAA	12	10	9	31
3	DavRAA*	11	6	6	23
4	RIAA	10	7	4	21
5	NCRAA	6	16	11	33
6	ZPRAA	6	1	2	9
7	CLRAA	4	1	0	5
8	CARAA	3	0	4	7
9	CVRAA	2	2	0	4
10	MRAA	2	1	1	4
11	NMRAA	1	2	3	6
12	CARAGARAA	1	0	3	4
13	BRAA	0	3	2	5
14	CaVRAA	0	2	1	3
15	EVRAA	0	0	0	0
	SRAA	0	0	0	0
	ARMMAA	0	0	0	0
Totals (17 entries)		71	61	54	186

Weather

As this year's Palarong Pambansa is being held in the middle of the summer season, intense heat and humidity pose a major challenge for the athletes and visitors. Aware of the potential effects of the hot weather on the athletes, the Department of Education has continued to ban some outdoor sports from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM so the athletes would not suffer from heat stroke under the scorching summer sun.

According to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Agapito Hornido, head of the Palaro Medical Team, said the young players are at risk in high temperatures, as they push themselves harder to increase their chances of clinching a medal. The Palaro Medical Team assured the participants and the public that they are geared up to respond to weather-related health concerns such as heat exhaustion and stroke. Hornido said they have already attended to dozens of athletes, with most of them showing signs of heat exhaustion. Some even fainted during intense training. He revealed the medical team is bolstered up by the 21-bed Palaro Medical Operations Center (MOC), which offers free consultation, medicines, minor treatment, ECG, physio-therapy, dental and other services.^[43] In addition, the Diocese of Tagum through the Caritas Manila Foundation, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, City Government of Davao Emergency Medical Services, and several municipal emergency services provide first aid and medical support services for the athletes and public, and have dedicated mobile emergency stations, triage centers, and ambulances within the venues and billeting centers.

Ambulent vendors registered as exhibitors and stalls were well-prepared and kept more stock of bottled mineral water, energy drinks, soft drinks, and other beverages in supply. Many also sold sun visors, caps, sunglasses, and fans.

On the other hand, a sudden downpour of heavy rain affected the conduct of the opening ceremonies on 4 May, thus prompting some parts of the program to be omitted or shortened.^[34]

Rice black bug attack

At least thousands of rice black bugs (Scotinophara coarctata) swarmed the DNSTC on the first day of competitions, 3 May. It was first observed during the late finish of the athletics competition, when the floodlight towers were turned on for the night events, as thousands of black bugs came swarming to the lights. At the same time, the Provincial Government was holding a welcome dinner for delegation officials (Governor's Night) at the RDR Gymnasium and Aquatic Center of the DNSTC when the black bugs swarmed the floodlights and landed on the swimming pool and food intended for the guests; the event was cut short as a result. According to witness accounts, the black bugs also landed on the pavement in and around the main grandstand, thus making it slippery.

The black bugs, known as piyangaw in the Cebuano language, emit a sharply foul odor that affects breathing, causes excessive tearing in the eyes, and may also cause stomachache when accidentally swallowed. Their invasion was attributed to the bright lights of DNSTC and its location adjacent to rice fields and to a mini-forest, and because of their abundance during the full moon.^[44]

In response to this, Davao del Norte' assistant provincial administrator Sofonias P. Gabonda Jr. said they immediately had a meeting on that same night to address the issue and insisted that the bugs are harmless and do not pose a significant health threat to the athletes or to the public. He also said that they will just adjust the intensity and duration of turning on the floodlights during sporting events to avoid a similar incident. Most importantly, the lights at the Aquatic Center will be turned off during the night,^[45] as swimmers might accidentally ingest the black bugs during their swim. DepEd Assistant Secretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs Tonisito Umali said that they have already installed insect-repelling screens in all billeting venues so as to prevent the bugs from pestering the athletes and coaches.^[46]

On 4 May, a massive clean-up was done by maintenance crews, and it was only then that the scale of the invasion was realized: at least two dump trucks were needed just to deliver the collected bodies of dead black bugs away from DNSTC. Still, the black bug invasion of DNSTC continued throughout the duration of the Palaro, but their numbers have significantly decreased. No health-related cases were reported and no schedule games were postponed due to the black bug invasion.^[44] During the closing ceremony, no more rice black bugs were seen around DNSTC or in the billeting centers.

Bullying of athletes

Several cases of verbal bullying were reported by several athletes and coaches to the Department of Education, and reports showed that parents of some athletes had been observed to have bullied some athletes especially those who were competing against their children. Though Umali said that these incidents could have been the result of parents overreacting to the situation, he readily declared that physical and verbal abuses are banned in the Palaro, adding that DepEd could discipline the athlete and its staff, including those under private schools.^[46]

Other incidents

On 17 April, a few weeks before the start of the 2015 Palarong Pambansa, three gymnasts from the Davao Regional Athletic Association (DavRAA), namely Brian Albert Buhian, Janliver Estabaya (both from Sinawilan National High School, Davao del Sur), and Louie Villacorte, Jr. (of Sta. Ana National High School, Davao City), returned to the Department of Education Division Office of Davao del Norte a bundle of cash that they found under the bench of a kiosk at Tagum City National Comprehensive High School (the billeting center for DavRAA delegates) after buying personal necessities outside TCNCHS. The cash, which amount to P50,000, was earmarked as allowance for their fellow DavRAA athletes from Panabo City and Davao del Norte. According to Buhian, he was perturbed and felt the urge to return the large amount of money to its rightful owner, even though no one was around at that time.^[47] The group was later awarded with a resolution in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council) of Davao del Norte filed by Board Member Atty. Raymond Joey Millan commending them for their integrity; monetary incentive was also given to the three athletes through donations given by the board members.^[48] They were also given one by one a tablet PC and framed copies of the said resolution during the closing ceremony of the Palaro.