The city of Alfonso, Cavite, has formally launched its squad—to be often called Alfonso Siklab—for the inaugural leg of the Maharlika Pilipinas Pickleball Tour (MPPT), which begins on 3 October 2026 in Angeles Metropolis, Pampanga.
The announcement got here throughout a contract signing ceremony at Villa Merci in Barangay Esperanza Ibaba, attended by Alfonso Mayor and workforce proprietor Randy Salamat alongside workforce supervisor Keng Gaspar.
Alfonso Siklab Males’s and Ladies’s Groups Named
The lads’s roster options worldwide tennis and pickleball champion Kim Sazara—higher often called “Picklebear”—alongside Pink Directo, Al Quiza, and homegrown expertise Matthew Lao.
On the ladies’s aspect, the workforce will subject Medelene Sazara, Novi Melendez, Cindy Nuguit, and native standout Dania Lee Abjuela. Melendez is a embellished athlete and coach, whereas Nuguit captains the Perpetual Assist Altas delicate tennis and garden tennis squads and serves as a model ambassador for Decathlon Philippines.
Mayor Salamat defined that the squad was shaped by a collection of tryouts to make sure the strongest potential line‑up. Gaspar added that coaching is already underway on the Villa Merci pickleball courts.
“We are going to deal with them like household,” Salamat stated, noting that the workforce can even assist promote Alfonso by visiting native companies and showcasing the city’s attraction.
A part of a Nationwide Tour
The Alfonso Siklab Pickleball Crew joins 11 different founding squads within the MPPT, a brand new league spearheaded by Manny Pacquiao. Groups from Abra, Batangas, Bangued, Bacoor, Camarines Norte, Normal Santos Metropolis, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pampanga, Rizal, and Tacloban can even compete.
Pacquiao described the tour as greater than a contest, positioning it as a platform to develop pickleball nationwide and supply Filipino athletes with an expert stage. Commissioner Mark Espinosa echoed that imaginative and prescient, calling the launch the beginning of a brand new chapter for the game within the Philippines.
The MPPT’s first leg runs from 3 to 4 October in Angeles, with 5 legs scheduled by the yr. The highest eight groups will advance to December’s remaining section, the place the inaugural champions can be topped.
For Alfonso, the revealing of its roster is not only about sport—it’s about group satisfaction, native id, and becoming a member of a nationwide motion to place pickleball firmly on the Philippine sporting map.
