Padel Pilipinas’ Asia Pacific triumph earns Senate commendation

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

FILE: The Senate of the Philippines on Wednesday (Sept. 24, 2025) honors the Philippine team for its historic title victory in last month’s Asia Pacific Padel Cup in Malaysia. (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)

MANILA – The Senate on Wednesday adopted resolutions congratulating the Philippine National Padel Team, or Padel Pilipinas, for its historic championship win at the 2025 Asia Pacific Padel Cup in Malaysia from Aug. 28 to 31.

The chamber approved Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) No. 120, taking into consideration PSR Nos. 122, 123, 124, 126, 129, and 130, commending the team for emerging as champion against some of the region’s strongest padel squads.

The resolution was principally sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and backed by Senators Pia Cayetano, Vicente Sotto III, Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda, Christopher Lawrence Go, and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

The Senate adopted PSR No. 131 and PSR No. 132, authored by Cayetano, honoring Joanna Tao Yee Tan and Johnny Arcilla for being named Most Valuable Players (MVPs) in the women’s and men’s categories, respectively.

During the plenary session, Cayetano, who founded Padel Pilipinas, expressed deep pride in the team’s triumph.

“I rise with immense national pride in my heart. Today, we are here to honor the historic achievement of our National Padel athletes… to witness their victory, to see our flag raised on the international stage, is to see the vision fulfilled,” she said.

Villanueva, author of PSR No. 124, commended the athletes’ perseverance and skill against Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, and India.

He congratulated the entire roster, including Argil Lance “LA” Cañizares, Abdulqoahar “Qoqo” Allian, Bryan Saarenas, Derrick Santos, Raymark “Mac” Gulfo, Fritz Chris Verdad, Mariam “Yam” Garsin, Jed Aquino, Danna Abad, and Joshea Malazarte, as well as head coach Bryan Casao and officials of Padel Pilipinas.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada highlighted the team’s 24-2 win-loss record and praised Cayetano’s leadership in building the national federation and opening padel courts nationwide.

He recalled that the team finished runner-up at the inaugural cup in Indonesia last year, showing clear progress in 2025.

Go, chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, described the victory as a testament to Filipino resilience and excellence.

“This exceptional performance is not a victory for the team but a sounding testament to the Filipino athletes’ resilience and excellence,” he said.