MANILA - The inaugural E-Palarong Pambansa will be held in May 2023, with five different titles to be played.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends, its mobile version Wild Rift, Call of Duty Mobile and Valorant are included in the list of games to be played in the tournament.

The announcement was made just days after their polls were allegedly hijacked by bots, when it allowed a people's choice on which games will be selected for the tournament.

"Despite the recent setbacks, the E-Palarong Pambansa team has dedicated immense effort towards selecting games that are fair, inclusive, and capable of providing an outstanding tournament experience. To ensure we deliver on this commitment, we took into account various aspects, including the limitations of being a startup organization," the organization said in a statement announcing the games.

Jam Monthermoso, Head of Corporate Partnerships of the tournament, said the tournament "is specifically designed for student-athletes hailing from various regions of the country." The National Youth Commission has already endorsed the tournament, he added.

"E-Palarong Pambansa also marks one of the first global shows of national government support for Esports with the goal of creating a stable and sustainable grassroots Esports ecosystem. It also aims to promote Esports as a supplementary part of the holistic development of Filipino youth by fostering self-discipline, teamwork, and competitive excellence," he said.

The qualifiers will be held in May while the group stages will start in June.

The grand finals will be held in ICON - Iloilo Convention Center, Iloilo City, Philippines, from July 22 to 23.