3 Pinoys in WSL Siargao event

MANILA, Philippines — Three wildcards were awarded to host Philippines as the World Surf League (WSL) put a silver lining to adding Cloud 9, Siargao, to the 2026 Championship Tour (CT) on Oct. 31-Nov. 10 with PSC allocating a P25-million budget for the landmark sports tourism project.

Four-time Siargao International Surfing Cup winner John Mark (Marama) Tokong will join the CT event featuring 24 men and 16 women while Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games bronze medalist Jayuard Alciso and teenaged 2026 Mayor Jaime Rusillon Memorial Surfing Cup women’s open champion Mara Lopez will ride the waves in the Philippines Pro CT trials. Tokong, Alciso and Lopez are wildcard entries, giving the host country a local flavor in the competitions.

PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio described the WSL CT as the Wimbledon or US Open of surfing. “The iconic heart of Siargao is Cloud 9, the surfing tower a true symbol of sports tourism,” said Gregorio. “It’s wonderful, beautiful and world-class. The CT belongs to the world’s greatest waves and we’re confident that Cloud 9 is one of them. This will be a historic moment for Philippine surfing and the CT will usher the sport into a new era. Let it inspire a new generation of athletes. Let the world discover not just our waves but the vision, ambition and heart of the Filipino people.”

Aside from the Cloud 9 event, the Philippines will host a WSL World Longboard Tour stop in La Union in January next year. It’s a clear indication that the Philippines is a global destination for surfing, an Olympic sport since the 2020 Tokyo Games. Surfing will make its third Olympic appearance in Los Angeles in 2028 with shortboard competitions for men and women.

Expected to participate in Cloud 9 are the world’s top-ranked surfers including No. 1 Yago Dora of Brazil and No. 2 Leonardo Fioravanti of Italy. “Going to a new location is always exciting,” said Fioravanti, a two-time Olympian. “I’ve seen some footage of Cloud 9 and it looks like a really fun slab barrel into a big air. I’m really excited being a regular footer and getting barreled on my forehand.”