NCR, Region 4-A (CALABARZON), and Region 6 (Western Visayas) have held the top three spots in the past 18 Palaro games, save for 2013 when Central Visayas sneaked past CALABARZON for its sole podium entry. 

W. Visayas and CALABARZON each owns nine (9) second-place, and eight (8) third-place finishes since 2005 when a point system in determining rankings was first implemented. 

NCR, however, has been in a class of its own, maintaining superiority through the years. During the 2025 games in Ilocos Norte, the 17-member capital region won its 18th straight Palaro overall title.

NCR’s dynastic 18 consecutive Palaro titles have also come with unchallenged superiority in terms of medal gap.

Across three Palaro editions (2023–2025), NCR collected a total of 198 more medals than second placer CALABARZON, while only 60 medals separated the latter and third placer Western Visayas. A similar picture could be seen when looking at the golds: NCR scored 136 more gold medals than CALABARZON. Only 12 golds demarcate the second and the third spots.

The race for second place has been much more competitive than the chances to unseat NCR. The streak reflects consistency; the medal gap show across-the-board excellence. 

Both in 2023 and in 2024, the powerhouse trio of NCR, Region IV-A, and Region VI accumulated more gold medals than all the other regions combined. Last year, they accounted for 208 total gold medals (47%), just a shade below the 235 (53%) collected by all the remaining 16 delegations. 

This concentration of golds reveal what regions the top student-athletes in the Palarong Pambansa – the cream of the crop, the best of the best – mostly represent, and what programs, facilities, and incentives produce the best delegations.