Joshua and Kenneth Monterubio: Badminton and brotherhood

Unlike last season, the DLSU Green Shuttlers made their case this time around. Improving to a second place finish this year, the Green Shuttlers fought to the end despite eventually bowing to the NU Bulldogs. This successful run would have never happened without the effort exerted by the Green Shuttlers and without their high quality players. Among all the players that are in Coach Owen Lopez’s disposal, two individuals have really showcased their skill and tenacity throughout their games so far. Making a splash in this year’s UAAP season are none other than the Monterubio brothers, Joshua and Kenneth.

The bond of brothers

As early as six years old, Joshua had already found his fondness of the sport of badminton and just like any other brother, Kenneth got into it as well. At a very early age, they were already discovered to be prodigies of the sport. They were discovered while playing in Camp Crame by a badminton coach who got them in his team. “Nagstart ako ng six [years old]. Tapos, nag lalaro-laro lang kami sa gym sa [Camp] Crame. Tapos may kumuha samin na isang coach,” says Joshua recounting his first experience of being drafted into a team. Unlike his older brother, Kenneth had another sport that was close to his heart, which was baseball. According to him, this was indeed his original sport, not badminton, but eventually, he realized that he preferred the latter because he was so much better at it. “Before kasi, ang sport ko talaga ay baseball, lumipat lang ako ng badminton kasi mas nagchachampion ako dun,” says Kenneth.

Eventually, they started competing inter-regional badminton tournaments. Joshua experienced early success in his high school days as he led the NCR-NCRAA team to rank first in the 2013 Palarong Pambansa. Today, they are both training for the Philippine Badminton team. Joshua is currently training for doubles, while Kenneth trains for singles. They have definitely gone through a lot together and according to them, there were even tough times between them especially when they were younger. Nevertheless, their bond as brothers is stronger than ever.

When asked who was the better player, they weren’t shy in sharing their respect to one another along with some joking around in the side. “Ako talaga siyempre,” says Kenneth. “Sa doubles, siyempre ako. Pero sa singles baka ibigay ko na sa kanya iyon,” says Joshua in reply to his younger brother.

The Monterubio tandem

When Coach Lopez established his plan to team them up for the doubles events, Kenneth and Joshua were quickly up to the challenge. “Ngayon lang kami naging partner ulit ng kapatid ko,“ says the older Monterubio. Although they rarely play alongside each other in competitive events, the pair showed the kind of familiarity that only brothers could have as soon as they stepped on the hardcourt.

Kenneth and Joshua had a lot to do with the team’s early success, winning all their doubles matches during the Green-and-White’s five game winning streak. With the victories that the Monterubio brothers have contributed, Coach Lopez made it a habit to put the brothers in the lineup for the doubles matches every single contest. “During games, mga fighter talaga sila eh,” commented their mentor. The combination of Kenneth’s speed in his singles training and Joshua’s adaptability and his experience in the doubles category make them a formidable force, which is evident as the have only lost once this season so far.

From the brothers’ humble beginnings, Joshua and Keneth came a long way from being one of the best prospects in Philippine badminton. In consideration of their international experiences and individual awards, the Monterubio brothers are talented on their own. And as a team, they have showed that they can compete and even dominate in the UAAP level. With all this, expect the Monterubio tandem to be in the winning side of the scoreboards for years to come in the UAAP, and perhaps even beyond.