The historic town of Kawit is all set to welcome players, spectators and ranking officials for the 1st ArenaPlus-KaTribu Pickleball Tournament on 12 July inside All Home along Centennial Road.

Kawit Mayor Armie Aguinaldo expressed excitement to host close to 300 pickleball players in this blue-ribbon event dubbed as “Dink-dependence Day” as it will coincide with the country’s celebration of its 128th year of freedom from Spanish regime.

Aguinaldo was given the honor to do the ceremonial serve but if she can’t make it due to the Independence Day festivities, she is expected to assign Kawit head of Youth and Sports Rubman Santera and Sanggunian Kabataan Federation of Kawit chairman Faith Chrysler Salud to represent her.

Joining Aguinaldo in the ceremonial serve set is a powerhouse cast composed of ArenaPlus chief Erick Su, Philippine Pickleball Federation president Shery “Shawie” Cu and DAILY TRIBUNE Sports editor Julius Manicad as well as nine Miss Earth 2026 candidates.

Meanwhile, Senator Mark Villar, former Senator Cynthia Villar, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio and DAILY TRIBUNE president Willie Fernandez will personally hand out the trophies, medals, cash prizes that could go to as high as P15,000 as well as premium rewards like hotel accommodation, round-trip airline tickets Japan, gift certificates and food vouchers to all the winners in the beginner, novice, low intermediate and high intermediate divisions.

Registration is now ongoing and is pegged at P1,500. Registered participants will also receive competition shirts, snacks, drinks and various freebies from the event’s sponsors like ArenaPlus, PSC and JC Premiere.

Manicad expressed his gratitude to the all-out support given by Kawit in this prestigious tournament that drew additional help from the Villar Foundation, Cebu Pacific, Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation, Hotel 101, DITO, Pascual Laboratories, HEAD, Bioessence and the Department of Finance.

“We are deeply grateful to the municipality of Kawit for supporting this endeavor that aims to promote friendship, camaraderie, and active lifestyle,” Manicad said following a coordination meeting with municipal administrator and former Kawit Councilor Debbie Puno Pulido last Tuesday.

“With Mayor Aguinaldo’s backing, we are confident we will achieve our goals and inspire further engagement from Kawit’s youth sector, especially its local pickleball community.”

Based on their agreement, Kawit will provide the event with additional security, traffic management staff and medical personnel with an ambulance on stand-by. They will also promote the tournament and convince the local youth sector to watch the games, including the planned celebrity match that will precede the semifinals, finals and awarding ceremony around 6 p.m.

In return, the organizer will welcome the entry of a Team Kawit in the field while giving a huge discount in the registration fee of 50 Kawiteño pickleball players who want to test their skills against other competitors.

“Our hope is that this tournament inspires more Kawiteños to grab a paddle and embrace the values of the sport. This is only the start — we will definitely be bringing more exciting events like this to the community in the future,” Manicad said.