DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – Before pickleball gained popularity in the capital of Negros Oriental, Bernabe Bustillo, a sports official and trainer, was among the first locals who helped launch what has since grown into a grassroots program for young athletes since 2024.
Bustillo, pickleball coordinator of the Negros Oriental Sports Confederation, said he introduced the sport to the City Sports and Youth Development Office after joining the 2023 Ultra Marathon from Dumaguete to Gihulngan.
“I was assigned as a technical official judge [and] I saw the doctors and nurses playing pickleball [in Guihulngan],” said Bustillo, adding that he saw its potential and asked help to start pickleball in Dumaguete when he returned.
The sport has since been included in the city-run Summer Sports Clinic in 2024, enjoining children aged 6 to 16 in free training across different sports activities from April to May at Pantawan People’s Park.
What started with only 18 trainees grew to 45 in 2025 and at least 200 registered trainees in this year’s edition, Bustillo noted.
