Badminton has been played in the Philippines since the 1920s when British and American expatriates introduced the sport to the country.

The team were drawn with Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore and lost all of their matches in the group tie.

Three years later, the Philippines competed in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games, where the team entered the semifinals for a guaranteed bronze medal but lost 3–0 to Malaysia.

The team lost 5–0 to South Korea and 4–1 to Hong Kong and were eliminated in the group stages.

[9] The Philippines women's team debuted at the 1981 Southeast Asian Games and entered the semifinals to claim bronze.

[10] Ten years later, the women's team entered their second semifinal at the 1991 Southeast Asian Games and finished in fourth place.

The team lost 5–0 to New Zealand and Hong Kong but won 5–0 against Tanzania to finish 3rd in the group.