As the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons gear up for UAAP Season 89, PalawanPay is strengthening its long-standing partnership with the university, expanding its support across UPโs growing varsity community and reaffirming its commitment to Filipino student-athletes.
The partnership took center stage during the UP Fight x Palawan Group of Companies UAAP Season 89 Kick-Off on September 2 at the UP Varsity Training Center, bringing athletes, coaches, and university leaders together to officially welcome the new UAAP season and prepare teams for the competition ahead. This was followed by the UP Pep Rally Season 89 on September 4 at the University Theatre, where students, alumni, coaches, and supporters gathered to rally behind the Fighting Maroons and show their support for the teams.
For PalawanPay, the new season marks another chapter in a partnership that has grown significantly since 2019. What began with support for the Menโs Basketball Team has since expanded across the universityโs varsity community, including the Womenโs Basketball and Womenโs Volleyball Teams, swimming and judo teams, and the UP Pep Drummers. The Palawan Group is also exploring opportunities to support track and field and tennis.
A Partnership That Has Grown with UP
The broader reach reflects PalawanPayโs belief that supporting athletes means being part of the journey long before game day, not simply celebrating the results on the scoreboard.
For the Palawan Group, sports development is closely tied to the values it hopes to nurture among young Filipinos: discipline, resilience, excellence, teamwork, and responsibility to others. Through its partnership with the UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development (OASD), the company continues to support the people and programs that help student-athletes prepare, compete, and grow.
At the Season 89 Kick-Off, UP OASD Deputy Director Mo Gingerich underscored the importance of having the wider UP community behind its athletes. โAs we begin another UAAP season, it is important that we continue to support all our athletes and all our teams. They have worked hard to get here, and knowing that the UP community is behind them gives them the strength and confidence to represent the University and fight for excellence.โ
His message captures the role of partnerships in the athletesโ journey: providing not only resources, but also the confidence that comes from knowing an entire community is behind them.
More Than Competition
That sense of community was on full display at the UP Pep Rally, where the universityโs varsity teams took the stage alongside students, alumni, coaches, and supporters. More than a pre-season celebration, the gathering reinforced one of UPโs defining traditionsโthat its athletes do not compete alone.
For Palawan Group Chief Financial Officer Lillian Castro-Selda, the commitment carries personal significance. A UP alumna herself, Castro-Selda has seen the companyโs connection to the universityโs growth since the Palawan Group first became a major sponsor of the UP Menโs Basketball Team in 2019. โWe believe that supporting our athletes is one way of strengthening the UP spirit. It is one way of strengthening our pride in our University. And perhaps most importantly, it is one way of saying: We believe in you,โ Castro-Selda said.
That belief extends beyond wins and losses. For PalawanPay, the athletes represent qualities that resonate with the companyโs own journey: working hard, overcoming challenges, staying disciplined, and continuing to move forward.
UP OASD Director Coach Bo Perasol echoed the message during the PEP Rally, encouraging athletes to make every opportunity to represent the University count. โPlay for each other. As you enter any court, take that moment and have that courage because hindi na ito uulit. Show them your passion. Let them feel your discipline. UP Fight!โ
UP President Angelo โJijilโ Jimenez likewise reminded the athletes that the meaning of โUP Fightโ extends beyond winning games. He emphasized that the spirit is also about becoming better, fighting for others, and contributing to the countryโvalues that give the universityโs athletic programs a purpose beyond competition.
Standing Behind the Journey
For PalawanPay, the partnership with UP is rooted in something more personal than sponsorship. The connection began in 2019 through the UP community itself, when a fellow UP alumna introduced Lilian Castro-Selda to the people behind the Fighting Maroons. What followed was a conversation that eventually brought Palawan Express Pera Padala on board as a sponsor of the UP Menโs Basketball Team.
For the Castro family, the relationship also means giving back to their alma mater. Founders Bobby and Angelita Castro and their five children are all UP alumni, making the partnership a natural extension of the familyโs long-standing connection to the university and its community. Over the years, what began with the Menโs Basketball Team has grown into broader support for student-athletes across different sports and levels.
That personal connection has remained evident through the years. When the Fighting Maroons won the UAAP Season 87 menโs basketball championship in 2024, the Palawan Group celebrated the team with a Thanksgiving Dinner at UP Diliman. Reflecting on the victory, Palawan Group Founder and Chairman Bobby Castro drew a parallel between the teamโs experience and the companyโs own journey: โFor both our company and the Fighting Maroons, success doesnโt come easy. You have to sacrifice, work hard, and overcome difficulties.โ
As UAAP Season 89 gets underway, that connection continues to evolve. For PalawanPay, standing behind the Fighting Maroons means supporting not only their pursuit of victories, but also the discipline, perseverance, and sense of purpose they develop along the way. This partnership began with a shared connection to UP and has grown over years of believing in what its student-athletes can achieve.
ABOUT PALAWAN GROUP OF COMPANIES:
The Palawan Group of Companies has been a trusted partner of Filipinos for four decades. Its products and services include Palawan Pawnshop, Palawan Pawnshop Jewelry, Palawan Express Pera Padala (Domestic and International), Palawan ProtekTODO, Palawan Gold, Palawan for Business, Palawan Credit, and its e-wallet arm, PalawanPay, which is now trusted by 22 million Filipinos.
Today, the Palawan Group is one of the countryโs fastest-growing financial institutions and the market leader in pawning and remittance, with over 70,000 branches, Pera Padala outlets, and PalawanPay Money Shops nationwide. It is trusted by millions of Sukis for services that are mura, mabilis, at walang kuskos balungos (affordable, reliable, and hassle-free).
Staying true to its brick-and-mortar approach, the company introduced PalawanPay to give Sukis the flexibility to transact anytime, anywhere โ pwede sa branch, pwede sa app. Beyond remittances, PalawanPay also provides convenient access to bill payments, mobile load top-ups, pawn renewals, QR Ph scan-to-pay transactions, and gold and jewelry purchases.
The Palawan Group of Companies operates under the supervision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
For more information, go to Palawan Pawnshop and PalawanPay Websites.
