Ramos, DBTC Greywolves brace for tough Palaro campaign

Glenn Ramos with his DBTC Greywolves team during the CVIRAA meet in Bayawan City. | Photo from the Don Bosco Football Club

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) Greywolves are preparing for a challenging gold medal defense in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, with head coach Glenn Ramos acknowledging that their backs are against the wall.

Ramos, who guided DBTC’s elementary football team to the gold medal in last year’s Palaro held in Cebu City, told CDN Digital that only four players from his 2024 roster will return to represent Central Visayas this year.

“With only four holdovers from last year’s team, most of our players are rookies born in 2013. This will be a very tough Palaro for us—not just in the elementary division, but in the high school level as well,” Ramos said.

INEXPERIENCE

Despite the youth and inexperience of his squad, Ramos made sure they left no stone unturned in their preparation. He also got the services of three non-DBTC players from the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, from Don Bosco Lilo-an, and one from Bohol to suit up for Central Visayas.

Following their double-gold medal victory in the elementary and secondary football during the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) meet last March in Bayawan City, Ramos and his staff ramped up training and exposure by joining several tournaments within and outside Cebu.

“That’s our challenge, but we’re always ready. We’ve finished our tune-up matches, held team-building activities, and even took time for spiritual preparation—attending mass and visiting religious sites to pray for guidance and blessings. We’ve done everything we can. Our preparations are complete,” Ramos shared.

MINOR INJURIES

Adding to the challenge, Ramos revealed that a few players are dealing with minor injuries, but he remains hopeful they’ll recover in time for the opening ceremony on May 24.

Ramos is also riding high from his recent success with the Cebu Football Club (CFC) Gentle Giants, who won the Philippines Football League (PFL) Finals Series. The victory earned them a spot in the AFF Shopee Cup this August.

In his debut season with CFC, Ramos led the Gentle Giants to upset wins over league powerhouses Kaya FC Iloilo and the Manila Diggers FC at the Mall of Asia Arena Skypitch earlier this month.