Boholano runner breaks 

record in Palarong Pambansa

By Elvira C. Bongosia

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) — Boholano runner Jhul Ian Cañalita of Garcia Hernandez town made history in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa after winning two gold medals and breaking two national records in the same week.

An incoming Grade 10 student at the Tabuan National High School in Garcia Hernandez town, Cañalita first broke the record in the 5,000-meter run (Secondary Boys) with a time of 15 minutes and 16.31 seconds on May 27.

He broke the 27-year-old record of 15:38.4 previously set by Cresencio Cabal in 1998.

The 16-year-old then followed it up with another gold medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, setting a new Palaro record of 9 minutes and 23.89 seconds on May 28.

In an interview posted on the Department of Education (DepEd) Tayo Region 7 Facebook page, Cañalita shared what keeps him motivated.

“Padayon sa pangandoy. Mutoo sa coach, sundon ang training. Disiplina ug pagpabiling mapainubsanon para daghang blessings ang muabot (Keep on dreaming. Believe in the coach, follow the training. Discipline and stay humble so that many blessings will come),” Cañalita said.

He also thanked the people behind his success.

“Nagpasalamat ko nila Coach Jonas Acierda ug Coach Jojo Orcullo sa ilang guidance ug pagsalig, ug sa akong eskwelahan, Tabuan National High School (I thank Coach Jonas Acierda and Coach Jojo Orcullo for their guidance and trust, and my school, Tabuan National High School),” he added.

Acierda and Orcullo of the Provincial Youth Development Office (PYDO) guided Cañalita in his preparation alongside the local government of Garcia Hernandez.

Cañalita is a product of the Bohol provincial government’s grassroots-based sports development programs lodged under the PYDO, namely: Boholympics, Providing Assistance to Athletes for Representation and Training (PARTS), and Leveraging Assistance for the Representation of Grassroots Athletes (LARGA) launched in 2022. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)

After smashing a 27-year-old record in the secondary boys’ 5,000-meter run on May 27, Jhul Ian Cañalita of Bohol claimed his second gold medal on May 28 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, a second gold for Bohol province in the athletics competition at Palarong Pambansa 2025. (Photo from Jhul Ian Cañalita Facebook)