The Philippines marked its 128th Independence Day with a pickleball celebration. The 1st ArenaPlus-KaTribu Pickleball Tournament drew 268 players to The Dink Lab Elite in Kawit, Cavite last June 12, 2026. Organizers playfully called it the “Dink-dependence Day Showdown” to fit the occasion, and the energy lasted well into midnight.
Players competed across four divisions: beginner, novice, low intermediate, and high intermediate. Competitors traveled from as far as Marinduque, Rizal, Laguna, and other parts of Metro Manila to join the action.
Daily Tribune organized the event together with ArenaPlus, the Philippine Sports Commission, and JC Premiere, serving as major sponsors. Former Senator Cynthia Villar made the opening serve alongside Daily Tribune president Willie Fernandez, Dink Lab Elite owner Kent Octavo, Philippine Pickleball Federation president Shery Anne Cu, and four-time Southeast Asian Games champion Bien Zoleta, who led the Oath of Sportsmanship.
PSC chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio also dropped by to personally congratulate the organizers. He even cut short his own Independence Day commitments at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to do so, calling the tournament a strong step for pickleball and Philippine sports as a whole.
Division Results
- Newbie women: Christi Villarante and Joey Anne Ramos took the title and a P15,000 cash prize.
- Newbie men: Mark Anthony Luzon and Jayson Corre ruled the division.
- Novice women: Sandra Hilali and Crizzel Hilai claimed the win.
- Novice men: Angelo Barron and Miguel Jimenez topped the bracket.
- Low intermediate women: Jonnielyn Ramos and Laly Bugayong reigned supreme.
- Low intermediate men: Zherdel Drozle Fresco and Andrew Lemon Uy dominated the division.
- High intermediate women: Team Dink Lab stalwarts Shiela Rodriguez and Cindy Quijano defended home court with an upset win over Shery Anne Cu and Terry Lim Sarmiento.
- High intermediate men: Kristopher Tesorio and Augustine Evardo of Mandaluyong edged Team Dink Lab's Bon Baga and Cristobal Rañoa Jr. in a dramatic finale.
Beyond the trophies and cash, raffle winners walked away with extra prizes. Rañoa won an overnight stay with breakfast for two at Hotel Okura. The biggest prize of the night, a round-trip ticket for two to Narita, Japan courtesy of Cebu Pacific, went to Jayjey Palacios and Sofia Castillo. Palacios also placed runner-up in the newbie category, earning an additional P10,000.
She commented:
“This is the most successful pickleball tournament we’ve ever participated in. Aside from the cash prizes, we were also given loot bags, raffle items, and a lot of food.”
Palacios already confirmed plans to return next year, hopeful for an even bigger Dink-dependence Day celebration.
The tournament also drew support from the Villar Foundation, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, the Department of Finance, PCSO, Pag-IBIG Fund, Mama Lou’s, Cebu Pacific, Hotel 101, Aeropostale, The Bistro Group, Joola, Akari, and Cenohealth, among other sponsors.
Tournaments like this show how fast pickleball's grassroots scene is growing across the Philippines. Looking for a court to start your own games? Browse the full directory at courts.thepicklebase.com, or follow @thepicklebase on Instagram for more updates from the region.