MANILA – With one singles and three doubles titles in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Juniors, Joewyn Rey Pascua is leading the charge of elite players from the Philippine Tennis Academy (PTA).

Established in 2011, PTA is a non-stock, non-profit organization that aims to uplift young Filipinos from challenging socioeconomic environments by developing them into physically and mentally tough international champions.

Standouts from its satellite programs in Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and La Carlota are elevated to the elite program that is implemented at the PTA in Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City.

Pascua, 17, took a different route as the Palarong Pambansa gold medalist from Mapandan, Pangasinan was recommended for the elite program, which has five players as of writing.

“Dahil sa PTA, nagbago po ‘yung tennis career ko,” Pascua told ABS-CBN News. “Dahil sa kanila, ine-explain nila ang dapat maging goal is may education – full scholarship sa college in the U.S. – which is kayang gawin dahil meron ng previous players na nagpunta na rin doon.”

The people behind PTA are Oscar Hilado, Rommie Chan, Hanky Lee, Joey Torres, Toñico Climent, and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games medalists and former Davis Cuppers Raymond Suarez and Felix Barrientos.

They have been long-time supporters of Philippine tennis even before PTA’s establishment, and their most successful prodigy is Francis Casey Alcantara, the first Filipino who won a grand slam title at the 2009 Australian Open boys’ doubles event.

The five-time ITF men’s doubles champion, 30th SEA Games men’s doubles gold medalist, and Philippine Davis Cup team member is an NCAA All-American and athletic scholar graduate of Pepperdine University.

Other PTA players who have earned a degree after receiving US scholarships and playing in the NCAA Division 1 are Roxanne Resma of University of Hawaii, the 2013 Sri Lanka ITF junior singles champion, and four-time ITF junior singles winner Khim Iglupas of University of Arizona.

Resma and Iglupas teamed up for two ITF junior doubles championships, and Iglupas won eight more with various foreign partners.

John Bryan Otico and Arthur Craig “Iggy” Pantino, the 2017 ITF PHINMA-PSC junior doubles champions, are athletic scholars at Loyola Marymount University.

They have more junior titles under their belt: four singles and six doubles for Otico and five each in singles and doubles for Pantino.

PTA head coach and former Davis Cupper Jun Toledo shared, “Nakakataba ng puso specially ‘pag nakakaiyak ‘yung emails ‘pag nag-graduate na sila. ‘Yun ang pinaka the best na nakukuha ko from them. Siyempre, hindi naman ako nag-e-expect ng in return basta makakuha lang sila ng scholarship at mag-champion sa ITF.”

• READ: Joewyn Rey Pascua bags first ITF junior singles title in Vietnam
• READ: Joewyn Pascua, Axl Gonzaga win 2 junior doubles titles in Indonesia

Playing for the Philippines

PTA had a banner 2022 season as Pascua and fellow elite player Axl Lajon Gonzaga won two doubles titles in their first overseas outing in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

“Sobrang saya po kasi hindi rin namin akalain na makukuha namin ‘yung two weeks back-to-back sa doubles… kaya ‘yung mga training na pinaghirapan namin, napalitan naman po,” said the 17-year-old Gonzaga from Castillejos, Zambales.

In Vietnam, Pascua went on to clinch his first singles championship in Tay Ninh and third doubles crown in Ho Chi Minh City, much to the delight of PTA and his home province.

“Nakaka-proud po kasi meron tayong taga-Pangasinan na naglalaro sa ibang bansa… Isa siyang inspirasyon ng mga batang gustong matuto ng tennis,” said former Palarong Pambansa athlete James Mina of Villasis, who witnessed the potential of Pascua several years before he became part of PTA.

Another elite player, Heinz Aslan Carbonilla of Lala, Lanao del Norte, posted a runner-up result in the 2022 J5 Singapore doubles tilt.

The 17-year-old shared what he has learned from PTA, “Be more patient and disciplined, and know how to handle the pressure inside and outside the court.”

Pascua, Gonzaga, and Carbonilla were unable to compete internationally during the height of the pandemic, so they got to focus on training day in and day out while part of the De La Salle Santiago Zobel night school program.

Their daily routine, which has at least three hours of training, starts at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. and ends with the evening ritual of doing 1,000 push-ups and 1,000 sit-ups.

“Their work ethic is something to behold. They knew they would not be able to travel for at least a year. They kept pushing. They persevered,” PTA program director Andy Maglipon said.

Climent, one of the PTA trustees, added, “These kids are good. They appreciate what’s being given to them. And they show it. These kids, aside from playing for themselves, they play for us also.”

Building confidence and character

The latest additions to the PTA elite roster are Miguel Iglupas of Iligan City and Stefi Aludo of Trento, Agusan del Sur.

Iglupas, the brother of Khim, won the 18-under and 16-under singles titles at the 2022 Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Juniors National Tennis Championships in Manila.

The 16-year-old shared his sister’s advice, “Sinabi niya po sa akin magpunta daw ako dito para magaya ko siya, maka-abroad po sa school doon. At mag-work hard sa training.”

Aludo, the youngest of the elite group at 14, won the 18-under singles, 18-under doubles, and 16-under singles titles at the 2022 Elias P. Dacudao Memorial Cup in Davao City.

“Malaki pong naitulong ng PTA sa akin kasi doon sa probinsya namin, wala akong kapalo tapos ang hirap talaga kasi sa probinsya nung pandemic pa. Hindi ako makalabas. Nagpapasalamat po talaga ako sa PTA kasi ni-recruit nila ako,” she said.

As PTA carries on with helping their players attain sporting success and quality education, it admits to also putting a premium on building good moral character and nurturing self-confidence with humility.

“These kids become family. They stay here. Their parents are not here with them so all of us become their pseudo parents, uncles, and aunts,” Climent said of the PTA team led by chairman Hilado and president Chan.

“It’s not just tennis. The important part is upbringing, mentorship, and values.”

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