Palawan Group backs 43rd PCA Open
'For us, this is not just about supporting a tournament. It is also about supporting the athletes themselves and helping create more opportunities for Filipino talent to grow,' he said. 'At Palawan Group, we believe that Filipinos have tremendous potential. All they need is the opportunity to develop their skills, gain experience, and show the country — and perhaps, eventually, the world — what they can do.'
ROLAND Kraut, PCA Open Committee Member and DLSU Tennis Head Coach (right) teaches a member of the press the basics of tennis at a mini-clinic held following the media launch of the 43rd PCA Open, the first iteration the Palawan Group of Companies has served as a major backer.
Photographs by Toby Magsaysay for DAILY TRIBUNE
The Palawan Group of Companies joined as a major sponsor the 43rd annual Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open for the first time, supporting efforts to develop Philippine tennis amid growing local interest in the sport.
Speaking at the PCA complex in Manila on Thursday, Palawan Group founder and chairman Bobby Castro said the company’s backing of the tournament forms part of its broader tennis advocacy.
PALAWAN Group of Companies founder and chairman Bobby Castro kicks off the 43rd PCA Open with a quick serve.
“For us, this is not just about supporting a tournament. It is also about supporting the athletes themselves and helping create more opportunities for Filipino talent to grow,” he said. “At Palawan Group, we believe that Filipinos have tremendous potential. All they need is the opportunity to develop their skills, gain experience, and show the country — and perhaps, eventually, the world — what they can do”.
Often called the “Wimbledon of the Philippines,” the PCA Open is among the country’s longest-running and most prestigious domestic tennis tournaments. Organized by the Philippine Columbian Association since 1982, it draws leading Filipino players, national-team competitors and emerging talent. Past champions include Johnny Arcilla, a ten-time men’s singles winner, Dyan Castillejo, Marian Jade Capadocia and Alberto Lim Jr.
Palawan Group chief marketing officer Bernard Kaibigan said the tournament also advances the company’s broader goal of promoting tennis nationwide, as the sport gains popularity following Filipina tennis star Alex Eala’s recent successes on the international stage.
PALAWAN Group of Companies founder and chairman Bobby Castro (left) and chief marketing officer Bernard V. Kaibigan (right) speak at a press conference at the media launch of the 43rd annual PCA Open on Thursday morning at the Philippine Columbian Association in Paco, Manila.
“I think the Palawan Sports Development Program, especially for tennis, the main objective is really for Filipinos, too. Number one, [for them to] really appreciate tennis first. And then number two to let them try tennis. Number three, to find the next tennis superstars,” he said.
“In some of our tournaments, when Alex Eala was young, she also played in the Palawan tournaments. And we’re very proud to see her really soaring high in the tennis industry,” Kaibigan added.
The Palawan Sports Development Program is part of the group’s corporate social responsibility efforts, using sports to create opportunities for Filipinos, particularly young athletes. Its tennis initiatives aim to widen access to a sport that can be costly to learn and compete in, identify talent beyond Metro Manila, and help promising players develop through regular competition and coaching.
As of October 2026, the company reported supporting more than 200 grassroots clinics network.
“It provided a platform for our tennis players and the tennis industry to be discussed on a national and even international scale. At the Palawan Group of Companies, that is what we consider a key factor for success,” Kaibigan said.
The PCA Open expects more than 1,000 entries this year. Junior competitions begin on 2 November, while the men’s and women’s open divisions will run from 5 to 13 December.