Pia Cayetano: With honors

Lawmaker Pia Cayetano was not only a champion athlete but also a top student during her days in UP

by Gay Ace Domingo

Lawmaker Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano is known for her sports advocacy. She is into running, yoga and triathlon. She is also an avid backer of collegiate and national athletes. The former senator-now-representative of Taguig City has been spotted cheering for the swimming team and football team of the University of the Philippines. She often writes in her IG, “It’s no secret that my fave color is maroon…” because UP is her alma mater. She knows the importance of supporting student-athletes because she herself was like them.

Pia was a player of the UP Women’s Volleyball Team all throughout her four years at the state university in Diliman, QC.

“Volleyball wasn’t big then,” she recalls. “The bleachers were empty except for a few parents, a couple of boyfriends and our teachers.” The lack of spectators didn’t deter the team from working hard and giving their best. The UP volleybelles practiced thrice a week from 5 pm to 9 pm in the UP College of Human Kinetics gym. “We trained on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Minsan pinagsasaraduhan na kami ng ilaw,” says Pia. 

The ladies were not usually satisfied with 12 hours of practice per week. “There were times when we put in extra work on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Pia reveals. “We would run or lift weights or hold additional practices.”

Their effort paid off. In UAAP Season 45, the UP Women’s Volleyball Team, of which Pia was part of, won the championship. A little trivia: unlike most student-athletes nowadays, collegiate players in UP did not enjoy a scholarship. “But on the year following our championship, former Senator Edgardo Angara, then president of UP, granted scholarships to the members of the UP women’s volleyball team as a prize,” says Pia.

At the age of 17, Pia was also drafted to play for the national team. She was part of the squad that went to the 1983 Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship in Fukuoka, Japan.

The sense of gratitude and pride is very evident whenever Pia talks about her days with the UP Women’s Volleyball Team. “It contributed to who I am today. More than 50 percent of who I am comes from being an athlete.” Training taught her the value of excellence. “There are no shortcuts. You have to do your best always,” she elaborates.

It also helped Pia develop a knack for time management. “I tried to keep my schedule simple. I studied in between classes. I trained in the evening. And then I went home.”

Later, Pia scored greater successes. In March 1985—just a few days before her 19th birthday—Pia graduated cum laude with a degree in Economics. She pursued law also at UP Diliman and finished with academic honors in 1991.

These would prove to be her foundation for a dynamic career in law, government and public service.

Pia’s experience is proof that focus and dedication are essential to the gameplan in life. These are values that she seeks to instill in the youth of today. “I try to tell kids to channel their energy to learning. Ang masipag mag-aral at masipag mag-training merong mararating.”



(Photo credit: Rep. Pia Cayetano’s Instagram)