The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) congratulates Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio who was named by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) as the Executive of the Year for 2025 at the recently concluded PSA Awards held on February 16, 2026.
“A salute to Chairman Pato for being named as the Philippine Sportswriters Association Executive of the Year. The award is a testament to Chair Pato’s vision, dedication and hard work to establish projects and programs for the welfare and development of Filipino athletes, sports infrastructure development, and sports tourism. He very much deserves this distinction,” said PFF President John Anthony Gutierrez.
“As soon as he was appointed in mid-2025, he hit the ground running helping uplift so many sports including Philippine football,” Gutierrez underscored.
PSA cited Gregorio, a long-time sports administrator and hotelier, for the dynamic work he has been doing at the PSC, such as raising the monthly allowances of national athletes and coaches, opening various track and field ovals in the country for public use, supporting the hosting of major international tournaments, and leading the renovations of the country’s sports venues.
As far as Philippine football is concerned, Gregorio, through PSC, has been extending support to the national teams, the PFF grassroots program, national football and futsal leagues, and the current nationwide pitch-building drive by PFF.
As the head of the government-created Inter-Agency Task Force that facilitated the country’s hosting of the first FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup (FFWWC), Gregorio led in getting the PhilSports Arena in Pasig ready as World Cup venue, as well as in providing administrative, logistical and technical support for the stages of the historic tournament.
The FFWWC, held from November 21 to December 7, 2025, culminated in a rousing final match that filled the PhilSports Arena with an audience of more than 5,000. After the FFWWC, Gregorio designated the PhilSports Arena as the country’s House of Futsal to be used for domestic leagues, training, and future international tournaments.
In 2026, PSC under the leadership of Chairman Gregorio, continues to be a valuable partner of PFF by its continuous support of the country’s national football teams for their respective Asian Cup campaigns, the upcoming Futsaliga national futsal tournament at the Philsports Arena, the shift to 8v8 football in elementary boys and inclusion of elementary girls futsal and secondary girls football in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa, and assisting PFF in the construction of world-class pitches and football facilities nationwide.
