Apayao rules first Northern Luzon Rescuelympics on home ground

On its own stretch of river, Apayao left little doubt.

The host province posted the fastest times in all three events of the first Northern Luzon Rescuelympics, taking the overall championship after two days of competition on March 18–19 at the Apayao River, Dacao Dam Section in Lower Maton.

Apayao clocked 0:14:46 in Swift Water Rescue, edged Cagayan by four seconds, and set the pace early. In the Amazing Race, the team finished at 1:16:23, holding off Mountain Province. It sealed the sweep in Sky Pilot Maneuvering Techniques with a 0:09:47 run, the fastest recorded in the event.

The combined time of 1:40:56 stood well ahead of the field.

Mountain Province placed second overall with 1:47:27, followed by Ilocos Sur at 1:50:55, Cagayan at 1:52:33, and Baguio City at 1:53:47.

Entries came from 11 provinces and two cities from the Cordillera, Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley, including Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Kalinga, Ifugao, Abra, Mountain Province, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Baguio City, and Cauayan City.

Event results reflected the same pattern.

In Swift Water Rescue, Apayao led with 0:14:46, followed closely by Cagayan (0:14:50) and Baguio City (0:16:33). Mountain Province (0:16:46) and Pangasinan (0:17:08) rounded out the top five.

The Amazing Race saw Apayao again on top at 1:16:23, with Mountain Province (1:18:18) in second and Kalinga (1:21:23) in third. Baguio City (1:21:38) and Ilocos Sur (1:22:04) followed.

In Sky Pilot Maneuvering Techniques, Apayao posted the quickest time of 0:09:47, ahead of Ilocos Sur (0:11:27) and Nueva Vizcaya (0:12:19). Mountain Province (0:12:23) and Ilocos Norte (0:12:40) completed the top finishers.

The Office of Civil Defense–Cordillera (OCD-CAR) awarded ₱100,000 to Apayao as overall champion, followed by ₱80,000 to Mountain Province, ₱60,000 to Ilocos Sur, ₱40,000 to Cagayan, and ₱20,000 to Baguio City. The rest of the participating teams received ₱10,000 each.

As host, the Provincial Government of Apayao (PGA) provided additional incentives per event. Apayao earned ₱20,000 for each of its three wins. Second place finishers in each event received ₱18,000, third place ₱15,000, fourth place ₱12,000, while the fifth place was given ₱10,000. Consolation prizes amounting to P10,000 were also handed out.

Seven special citations, each carrying ₱10,000, were also awarded: Most Disciplined Team went to Ilocos Sur, Best Camp Award to Baguio City, Biggest Camp to Ilocos Norte, Best in Rescue Uniform to Kalinga, Earliest Bird Award to Nueva Vizcaya, Most Active Province to Cagayan, and Most Eco-friendly Team also to Nueva Vizcaya. For two days, teams ran against time and terrain, but the pace was set early and held steady. By the final tally, the gap was clear.

To maintain impartiality, the official umpires and judges were sourced outside the participating regions. These included 17 personnel from BFP Region III, 5 from the Philippine Coast Guard, 6 from the Department of Health (Regions III, IV-A, and NCR), 8 from the North Luzon Command, and 4 from Rescue Recon 1 Philippines.

Following the event, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Executive Director Harold Cabreros, who served as the the guest of honor and speaker of the event, signaled plans to stage a national-level Rescuelympics, with Apayao being considered as a possible host. With the province’s performance and the way the event was run, the case for bringing a larger stage to Apayao is now firmly on the table.