student athletes

THE DAVAO City Sports Development Division is set to open the applications for  “Atong Taga-an og Oportunidad ang Nangandoy nga Atleta” (ATO NA) athletic scholarship program in September.

ATO NA program targeting qualified, underprivileged athletes from junior high school through tertiary levels who will receive financial and academic support when they compete at the regional and national levels.

During the iSpeak forum on Thursday, June 25, Mikey Aportadera, division head, said the framework is undergoing finalization, including budgetary requirements.

“We are trying to polish everything as we have to allocate a certain budget for that,” Aportadera said.

He added that the division is coordinating closely with the Educational Benefit System Unit (EBSU) to ensure the program aligns with its existing system.

EBSU is the unit under the Mayor’s Office that handles the city government’s existing educational assistance programs, including the Scholarship on Tertiary Education Program, the Financial Assistance Program for Lumad, and the Medical and Law Educational Assistance Program, among others.

For the first batch, the program will offer 50 proposed slots for full scholarships, and more than 100 slots will be made available under the partial scholarship track.

Each qualified scholar may receive a maximum of ₱25,000 per semester or academic year, depending on their level and type of scholarship. 

The order establishes two tiers: a full athletic scholarship at the tertiary (university or collegiate level) and a partial scholarship for tertiary, junior, and senior high school.

Full athletic scholarship in tertiary (university or collegiate level) can avail P20,000 per semester covering tuition and miscellaneous fees; and P5,000 per semester to cover sport supplies and equipment subsidies.

Meanwhile, the partial athletic scholarship for tertiary can avail  P5,000 per semester to cover sport supplies and equipment subsidies, and the same amount for junior and senior high school, but for the academic year.

The scholarship grant is strictly for the matriculation, tuition, other school fees, sports supplies, and equipment subsidies of the student-athlete. 

Aportadera stressed the scholarship is open to student-athletes regardless of sport, provided they have officially represented Davao City in competitions.

“As long as you have represented the city nationally, internationally, bringing Davao City with you,” he said. 

Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte signed Executive Order No. 15 on May 5, 2026, creating the ATO NA program, recognizing the need to invest in human resources and cultivate skilled Davaoeños through scholarship programs for underprivileged students.