Allianz Philippines will back a team of five indigenous Aeta youth that seek to break into the Philippine national team for the emerging sport of obstacle course racing (OCR).

The five (pictured L-R) – Danilo B. Yugyug, 19; Ivy O. Pelayo, 16; Jacob D. King, 22; Gellyann B. Soria, 17; and Miracle D. Lansang, 21 – are students of Villa Maria Integrated School (VMIS) in Porac, Pampanga. They competed in the 5km elite male and female categories at the Allianz OCR Sunday event in Manila on March 31.

The top five participants in the Allianz OCR Sunday will gain a slot in the Philippines’ OCR team training pool, which holds training sessions both locally and abroad. The sport is set to make its debut in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games.

Read more: Allianz PNB supports indigenous youth in overcoming obstacles

While no member of the Aeta team was able to qualify, with only Yugyug making the top 15, Allianz will continue to support their training and participation in future qualifying events.

“Allianz is supporting the quest of the five Aeta youth from Villa Maria in Pampanga to be part of the national team pool,” said Allianz Philippines chief marketing officer Gae Martinez. “We are not putting a timetable, but what’s important as of this point is they get the training they need. We are giving them a chance to excel in the sport and the life skills to discover new opportunities along the way.”