Pickleball’s rise in Bacolod City has not come without friction. At 13th Lacson Street, one resident has had enough of the late‑night noise spilling from an open court just beyond her fence.
In her letter to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the septuagenarian described the constant “popping” of paddles and the shouts of players as a nightly nuisance. “We have been patient. We have asked nicely. We have reported it. Now, we are asking for a permanent solution and basic consideration for the people living and staying nearby,” she wrote. The SP, in turn, endorsed the matter to the City Legal Office for review.
This complaint calls to mind those some residents in Sinagpore have lodged to local authorities, which has prompted the latter to think of ways on how to balance the sport’s rise and making sure no one is bothered by players enjoying their matches. The same problem has been brought up by some residents in Vietnam and even in Malaysia, two other countries where pickleball is growing at meteoric rates.
Her frustration is not new. She had earlier raised the issue with Barangay 7 officials, citing sleepless nights and health concerns despite police visits after 10 p.m. The lack of acoustic barriers—only a cyclone wire fence lined with bamboo slats separates her home from the court—has made the disturbance unavoidable.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chair of the Committee on Ordinances and Good Governance, acknowledged this as the first formal complaint about pickleball operations in Bacolod. While supportive of the sport, he stressed that play should not come at the expense of residents’ peace. Espino noted that Dumaguete City, now considered the country’s pickleball capital with 300 courts, has already restricted open‑air play beyond 10 p.m.
With Bacolod’s own pickleball scene steadily expanding, local officials are now weighing similar measures to balance recreation with community wellbeing.
