Philippine Dragon Boat Federation

04/06/2026

Almost 20 teams have already registered for the NUSTAR Dragon Boat Regatta 2026. Registration will close as soon as we reach the maximum number of teams and entries that can be accommodated.

Avail of the early bird rate up to June 30, 2026. Register your team by clicking this link: https://forms.gle/fTq6pwSWfx7tKghA7

For more information about the race and to complete your team information, download the information bulletin, race forms and official invitation from the PDBF website by clicking the following link: https://pdbfsport.com/downloadable-forms -2474-4615-8309-66cdae866701

This event was brought to us by NUSTAR Resort Cebu and PADS Adaptive Dragonboat Racing Team, with the support of the Local Government of Cebu City, and technical officiating to be provided by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation.

Date: September 19 to 20, 2026 Venue: NUSTAR Boardwalk, Kawit Island, Cebu City, Province of Cebu, Philippines Contact us at: [email protected], or [email protected] REMINDERS: Those fielding in a Team B or C must fill out a separate form. Treat Teams A, B, and C as different teams....

03/06/2026

We received the unfortunate news about the passing of the founding father of dragon boat in the Philippines, Mr. Benjie Ramos. The entire dragon boat community joins his family in this time of grief and sorrow.

Sir Benjie was a founder of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation and its predecessor, the Amateur Rowing Association of the Philippines, in addition to the many other accolades and accomplishments he had etched in his colorful life in sports. He also served as Vice President of the Asian Dragon Boat Federation and was the president when the Philippines became a founding member of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) in June 1991 in Hong Kong. He was also past president of the Philippine Rowing Association, which has now produced Olympians and SEA Games medalists.

His contributions to dragon boat, rowing, and the field of sports in general will forever be part of history. Without Sir Benjie, dragon boat in the Philippines would not have flourished to how it is today. We are grateful for all your contributions to our sport and the unending support you have shown to PDBF and the paddling community all your life.

Thank you, Sir Benjie. Hanggang sa muling pagsagwan natin ng sama-sama...

(Photos grabbed from Sir Benjie Ramos' Facebook account)

26/05/2026

[Event Highlights] 2nd Leg, 2026 PDBF Philippine Dragon Boat Regatta

Congratulations to all the incredible athletes who competed! It was an unforgettable day at Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach. Here are the winners of each category:

200m PREMIER OPEN STANDARD
🏆 CHAMPION: PNP Maritime Group | Time: 0:44.49
🥈 1st Runner-up: Philippine Coast Guard | Time: 0:44.80
🥉 2nd Runner-up: Sagwan Tanauan | Time: 0:45.18
🏅 3rd Runner-up: Maharlika Drakon | Time: 0:45.22

200m PREMIER MIXED STANDARD
🏆 CHAMPION: PNP Maritime Group | Time: 0:46.01
🥈 1st Runner-up: Philippine Coast Guard | Time: 0:46.02
🥉 2nd Runner-up: Rogue Pilipinas | Time: 0:46.06
🏅 3rd Runner-up: Maharlika Drakon | Time: 0:46.56

200m PREMIER WOMEN SMALL BOAT
🏆 CHAMPION: Philippine Coast Guard | Time: 0:56.49
🥈 1st Runner-up: PNP Maritime Group | Time: 0:57.02
🥉 2nd Runner-up: Rogue Pilipinas | Time: 0:58.42
🏅 3rd Runner-up: UP Dragonboat Team - A | Time: 0:59.42

200m SENIOR-A OPEN SMALL BOAT
(Based on Cumulative Time)
🏆 CHAMPION: Pirates | Time: 1:47.82
🥈 1st Runner-up: Seahawks PH-A | Time: 1:48.33
🥉 2nd Runner-up: Manila Klasiko | Time: 1:48.42
🏅 3rd Runner-up: Onslaught Racing Dragons | Time: 1:49.21

200m SENIOR-A MIXED SMALL BOAT
🏆CHAMPION - Rogue Pilipinas | 0:54.50
🥈1st Runner-up - Bruins: Racers of the High Seas | 0:56.38
🥉2nd Runner-up - RCP Sea Dragons | 0:57.05
🏅3rd Runner-up - AMPPHI Dragon Boat Crew | 0:59.01

200m 24 & UNDER OPEN SMALL BOAT (Cumulative Time)
🏆CHAMPION: AIMS Blue Sharks | 1:47.16
🥈1st Runner-up: Baghawi | 1:51.78
🥉2nd Runner-up: Sigasig Dragón | 1:53.31
🏅 3rd Runner-up: Valhalla | 1:53.65

25/05/2026

After 55 races participated by close to 1,200 competitors from 30 dragon boat teams, the 2nd Leg of the 2026 PDBF Philippine Dragon Boat Regatta was a massive success. The Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach was filled with friendly competition, smiles, and a festive atmosphere amid a sunny, sometimes cloudy day. Teams were literally racing from 8AM until the majestic Manila Bay sunset greeted everyone. What a wonderful way to spend Sunday with an ever growing and amazing dragon boat community in the Philippines.

Here are the photo finish shots of all 55 races. Some races have more than one frame to show other teams crossing the finish lines since there were a number of races that had very close finish, some with even 0.01 millisecond time difference, inching by just a hair. Feel free to find those here. 🙂 It only goes to show that the level of dragon boat competition in PDBF races tends to go up, and teams are definitely keeping up.

Official race result times will be released later after our admins finish catching up with their day jobs. 🙂

Congratulations to everyone for finishing strong. See you again next PDBF race. :)

22/05/2026

Dalawang tulog na lang!

Regatta na naman,
Ang araw lulubog,
Bukas maglalaro
Sa Dolomite ulit,
At Manila Bay lang din...

I love you, dragon boat,
Pati na rin timon.
Hintay ka lang signal ko, andyan na ko.
Tawagin mo si Coach
Magme-medal kami! :D

Napakanta ka rin ba? Kung oo, batang 90s na paddler ka.

Kaway kaway yung mga paddlers na pinag-aasawa na ng Titang pakialamera at mga may at least dalawang anak na. Hehe.

See you this weekend, Paddlers! :)

21/05/2026

The PDBF is proud of the UP Dragonboat Team, a bona fide member of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation, for the recent recognition of its empowering and inclusive "Sagwan School" program in the Kalusugan, Isports at Kagalingan category during the Parangal sa Samahang Mag-aaral 2026 of the University of the Philippines - Diliman.

We laud the efforts of the UPDT and many more dragon boat teams of the PDBF to promote the dragon boat racing sport to more Filipinos across all economic classes, sexual orientation, cultural origins, religion, age, and physical abilities. Truly, we believe that through this sport, we promote unity in diversity, synergy, discipline, and physical fitness that know no bounds.

Congratulations, UPDT. Ikinararangal namin kayo! :)

21/05/2026

OVER A THOUSAND PADDLERS, R U READY?

Almost 1,200 competitors from twenty-eight (28) dragon boat teams will compete for dragon boat dominance at the 2nd Leg, 2026 PDBF Philippine Dragon Boat Regatta on May 24, 2026 at the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach, Roxas Boulevard, Manila. Call time for teams is 5:30AM. Race is scheduled to start at 7AM and will end approximately at 5PM.

Teams are advised to bring their own sacks and trash bag for the Manila Bay cleanup before the start of actual races.

Free drinks will be given by our hydration partner Pocari Sweat (Philippines), while tents for officiating stations and some teams will be provided by PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc.. Other logistical requirements for the race will likewise be provided by the City Government of Manila through the various departments and offices of the local government. Pemcor Industries Inc. will also lend their dragon boats to complete the fleet of boats that will be used for the race. Previously, Maku Coffee hosted the team managers' meeting for this Regatta Leg. We also thank the Manila Bay Coordinating Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for allowing us to hold the event at the Dolomite Beach and showcase the area as a preferred location for big dragon boat events in the country today.

To our sponsors and partners, we are very much grateful and excited for another fruitful collaboration that not only promotes Manila's tourism through the dragon boat racing sport, but also supports athletic and youth development.

We're excited to see another full day of competitive dragon boat action from over a thousand dragon boat athletes, the biggest dragon boat event in Luzon this year so far and second biggest in the country after the successful LOVEBoracay International Dragon Boat Festival last month, also officiated by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF).

The 2nd Leg, 2026 PDBF Philippine Dragon Boat Regatta is organized and officiated by the PDBF. It is the fifth dragon boat event of the federation this year. More races are expected to come later this year.

19/05/2026

It's finally OUT.

Information Bulletin and race forms for the NUSTAR Dragon Boat Regatta 2026 are out. You may download them from the PDBF website at https://pdbfsport.com/downloadable-forms -2474-4615-8309-66cdae866701 You may also click the NUSTAR Dragon Boat Regatta poster on the welcome page of the PDBF website: pdbfsport.com .

Interested teams may submit their interest to join this race on or before June 15, 2026 by filling out this online form: https://forms.gle/fTq6pwSWfx7tKghA7

200m Distance in the following racing classes and divisions:
- Premier Open Standard
- Premier Mixed Standard
- Premier Women Small Boat
- Premier Open Small Boat (Corporate)
- Senior-A Open Small Boat
- 24&U Open Small Boat
- Para-Dragon 1 Open Small Boat

Experience dragon boat racing in the premier hotel destination in the glorious city of Cebu.

This event is organized jointly by NUSTAR Resort and PADS Adaptive Dragonboat Racing Team, supported by the Local Government of Cebu City, and technically officiated by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation.

10/05/2026

LOOK.

Twenty-eight (28) teams (and still counting) confirmed entries for the 2nd Leg, 2026 PDBF Philippine Dragon Boat Regatta to be held on May 24, 2026 at the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach, Roxas Boulevard, Manila. Six championship trophies are up for grabs across three age divisions (Premier, Senior-A, and 24&Under).

During the team managers’ meeting today, May 10, 2026 at Maku Coffee, Roxas Boulevard, Manila, the rules of racing and race schedule, among others were discussed. Said meeting was generously hosted by Maku Coffee, which will also have a booth at the venue on race day. They will offer delicious food and refreshing drinks to racers and supporters onsite.

Maku Coffee also accepts booking for events and meeting at a very competitive price. Venue use is consumable so you can enjoy their fantastic food and drink offerings. Their rates and contact number are in the photos on this post. Just continue scrolling below.

Before entry confirmation finally closes, interested teams from different parts of the country are advised to keep in touch with the PDBF to secure a slot in the upcoming 2nd Leg of the 2026 Regatta.

Information Bulletin 1 and race forms are downloadable at the PDBF website: pdbfsport.com. Just click the event poster for 2nd Leg, 2026 Regatta or go to Downloadable Forms section.

08/05/2026

Behind every dragon boat race is a great team of race officials and organizers. We might not see them racing, not aboard the boats, but these people work on the sidelines to make sure everything is safe, fair and fun for the competitors.

For the LoVe Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival 2026, we recognize the meaningful collaboration between the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation and the Boracay Dragon Boat Assn BDBA that translated into nothing but good words and gratitude from the almost 50 local and international teams that participated in this race.

Chief official - JP Villanueva
Race organizer - Hannah Fernando
Secretariat Head - Jenny Escueta
Secretariat - Elissa Mackenzie
Secretariat - Mafh Dangcil
Admin & Logistics - Lemuel Hayagan
Marshalling Chief - Maan Gonzales
Checker - Joanne Bernardo
Checker - Hazel Gomez
Additional Checkers - From BDBA
Dock Marshall Head - Pol Yambao
Dock Marshall Asst Head - Rommel Estrella
Dock Marshall Asst Head - Bambi Sacapano
Dock Marshall - Patrick Dizon
Dock Marshall / Race Course Setup - Coach Rico Pradilla & Co.
Additional Dock Marshalls - from BDBA
Chief Starter - Greg Doronila
Asst Chief Starter - Francis Ng
Flag Holder - from BDBA
Boat holders - from BDBA
Course Umpire - Billy Villar
Course Umpire - Ronald Mallorca
Chief Judge - Dene Gomez
Finish Judge - Geannie Jarabejo
Photo Finish Processor - Mark Masangkay
Race Results Processor - Cha Benoza
Timer 1 - Mitch Gutierrez
Timer 2 - Reian Pisico
Additional timers - from BDBA

Oftentimes, being a race official and organizer is a thankless and ruthless job. If things go wrong, it's their fault. When things are right, they're often overlooked. But these people are not part of the race for the recognition or glory. It's that spirit of volunteerism and community, that eagerness to serve paddlers, that make them want to share their energy, time and talent to the greater dragon boat community.

Thank you, race officials and organizers! :)