The Philippine Electronic Sports Organization (PESO) has been officially accredited by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) as the official ‘National Sports Association” for esports in the Philippines.

In a certificate signed by POC Secretary-General Atty. Edwin B. Gastanes on 9 October 2020, PESO was named as an “associate member”.

In a statement to Esports Observer, PESO President Brian Benjamin Lim thanked the POC for the official recognition, much to the chagrin of other esports association in the Southeast Asian country.

He said:

“We are honoured and grateful for the trust that the POC placed in us.

We embrace this huge responsibility as we continue to support our athletes and push the growth and development of esports in the country.

We also echo POC’s call for unity among esports groups and communities as we all share the same goal to showcase the skills and abilities of Filipino gamers in the world arena and ultimately bring glory to our country.”

It’s worth pointing out that PESO is also a member of the International Esports Federation (IESF), an international governing body for esports which is also official partners with the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF).

The very first time that esports became medal events in a major international sporting event was in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines. During the 2019 SEA Games, six games were competed as part of the esports category, including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Arena Of Valor, Dota 2, Tekken 7, Starcraft 2, and Hearthstone.

You can check out the official Facebook page for PESO here.