We are taking things one paddle stroke at a time,” said Christine Villanueva, paddle sports advocate and founding member of the Philippine Outrigger Canoe Club.

Villanueva recently set up House of Paddles Enterprises or HOPE, a fundraising initiative that is designed to help members of the Philippine Accessible Disability Service (PADS) build their own outrigger canoe which they will use for training.

PADS is a nonprofit organization founded by JP Maunes, with the goal to make sports a reality for persons with disability (PWD).

Each HOPE paddle takes PADS’ paddle sport athletes a stroke closer to their goal of building their own outrigger canoe.

“We introduced adaptive sports to our members. It’s a branch in rehab where instead of the athlete making adjustments so he or she can play, we modify the sport so that the person with disability can participate and appear alongside other athletes, even those who do not have disabilities.”

Outrigger canoe paddling

In 2016, PADS members began practicing dragon boating as a form of recreational therapy and they immediately embraced it due to its nature of being a seated sport. “They felt that it’s very inclusive, they can paddle side by side with a nondisabled person and part sila ng team.”

The paddles are standard in size which means these are not only decorative, but can be used on the water, too.

PADS’ dragon boat team, composed of amputees as well as visually and hearing-impaired individuals, has since represented the Philippines in international meets and emerged as world champions. In 2022, the team wore the country’s colors in the Club Crew World Championships in Florida, where they took home four gold medals.“We want to create more sporting options for every person with a disability,” said Maunes, on PADS’ intention to venture into outrigger canoe paddling. The six-man outrigger canoe, or OC6, is designed for long-distance paddling and can ride out even choppy waves. Outrigger canoe racing is a very popular sport in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Christine Villanueva with her kids Rein (right) and Wynd

Villanueva told Lifestyle that PADS’ athletes are very much interested in training in the OC6. The problem is they don’t have their own canoe.

“I want to make our PWD athletes world champions in outrigger paddling. That also serves as encouragement for everyone to get into paddle sports, because if PWDs can do it, why can’t you?”

HOPE aims to place 1,500 paddles by the end of the year in the homes of those who wish to support the Cebu-based PWD athletes through a paddle pledge.

“We don’t just want to send sponsorship letters to companies asking for money, that’s why we came up with a very cool product,” said Villanueva. “We decided to call the campaign ‘House of Paddles,’ because we wanted paddles in the houses of our supporters.”

According to Villanueva, having the paddle—which is standard-sized and made of fine wood—in your home serves as a reminder of your contribution to paddle sports and to the PWDs.

“It’s a great initiative because for a sport to develop and become successful, the community has to take ownership of the sport and also of the team,” said Maunes. “Every paddle that they pledge would mean a lot for a person with a disability who’s been wanting to participate in a sport.”

“It’s also our way of also propagating paddle sports in the country. We want a paddle in each home to revive the islander culture of Filipinos, so if you have a paddle in your home, it is like a reminder of where we came from,” Villanueva explained. “Instead of yung malaking kutsara at tinidor, why not a paddle in your house as decor?”

Paddle pledge

Those who buy the paddles can also use it, when the time comes that they want to try out any paddle sport, since the dimensions of the paddles are standard.

Each of HOPE’s basic canoe paddles costs P1,800 and is manufactured in Cebu by Island Buzz Philippines, a local outdoor and sporting goods company that makes stand-up paddleboards and canoes. Part of the proceeds will go to PADS to fund building the PWDs’ own outrigger canoe.

Every HOPE purchase will help PWDs acquire their own OC6 canoe for use in paddle training.

“Island Buzz did a paddle-making workshop with out-of-school youth and PWDs to provide them with extra income as well as additional skills which they can use afterwards,” said Villanueva.

She guarantees that all 1,500 paddles are uniquely designed and that no paddle is the same. “Since it is handmade and handpainted, each piece is really different and made especially for the one who made the paddle pledge.”

Each fine wood paddle is handmade and handpainted.

The buyer-slash-supporter also has the choice to come up with their own design or allow HOPE’s craftsmen and artists to just surprise them with a design of its own.

“As much as we want everyone to become a paddler or at least try out paddling, we know that’s quite impossible. But anyone can own a paddle. They may not use it for its purpose but it’s something they can use decoratively,” said Villanueva.

Her passion for paddle sports began in 2013, after taking a liking to stand-up paddleboarding and outrigger canoeing.

Buzzy Budlong of Island Buzz Philippines (center) holds a paddle-making workshop with out-of-school youths and PWDs.

“Before, I was not really comfortable in the water because I’m not a very good swimmer. I tried scuba diving but when I got my PADI certification, hindi na ako umulit, that’s how scared I was,” Villanueva disclosed. “That’s why I got into paddling, because in this sport, I stay afloat. And puwede akong mag-life vest,” she added with a laugh.

“That’s why I think Filipinos will really appreciate paddling more than other water sports out there. It’s just that they haven’t really tried how fun it is.”

Check out House of Paddles Enterprise on Facebook and Instagram.