Sports Eye
PRISAA, PBA and Ondoy
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
CONGRATS to the people behind the success of this year’s staging of the PRISAA-UCAAP Inter-Collegiate Basketball Championship held at Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU) gym. Spearheaded by PRISAA’s national chairman Atty. Gonzalo T. Duque, the annual tourney was organized by PRISAA Pangasinan-Dagupan City chapter under the management of Art Tangco and region 1 PRISAA treasurer Seato Gonimil. Like last year, the two-month cage event was dubbed as “Mayor Al Fernandez Cup” under the commissionership anew of Angel Gumarang. The LNU Dukes won the championship, their first after 25 tries.
Carry on the good work guys and hopefully next year will be just as successful again.
A developmental basketball league is also being held at DWAD gym during these days. Dubbed for the third time as “Mayor Al Fernandez Cup,” the hoopfest is exclusively for private and public schools in Dagupan City and under the directorship of well-known basketball organizer Edil Abalos.
* * * *
One of PBA pre-season games was held at Urdaneta City Sports and Cultural Center on Sept. 26 between sister companies San Miguel and Ginebra. The sports center, which could accommodate a maximum of 10 thousand spectators, was jampacked. I saw how these professional cagers honed their skills for their coming skirmishes scheduled to open this month. Many observed (including this writer) that both teams didn’t play with their usual intensity and was not as exciting to watch this time. Unlike their performance during the regular season, the players noticeably reluctant to engage in body contacts obviously afraid to get hurt or suffer injuries before the start of the official games. This was the reason that after the first half, many spectators (I believe one-third of the crowd) left after the first half. They were either dismayed or simply felt they had better things to do while Typhoon Ondoy wreaked havoc in Metro Manila and Rizal province at that time.
The darling of the crowd was Urdaneta City-born San Miguel pride Danny Ildefonso. They cheered each time he converted a shot, to the accompaniment of a music, ala NBA. But unfortunately, despite his team’s five points, 40-35 lead, at the first half, Ginebra slowly and surely crept from behind to thump San Miguel by six points in the end, 88-82.
Notable people who attended the affair included Mr. and Mrs. Mark Cojuangco, the host Mayor Amadito Perez, Jr., fellow town executives Calimlim and Abrenica of Mapandan and Villasis, respectively, and former Board Member Saffe Villar.
* * * *
Typhoon Ondoy not only slammed the people of Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan and Pampanga, it also postponed sports activities. And it did not play favorites; it did not spare anyone whether you are rich or poor, celebrities or not. And one of Ondoy’s victims was Tony Chua, the ex-PBA chair (2006-2007), whose untimely demise stunned and surprised Philippine basketball.
Chua died at the height of the fury of Ondoy evening of Sept. 26 while trying to reach his home in Filinvest in Cainta, Rizal, where his spouse and three kids were trapped in rising floodwaters. Chua, riding his vehicle and in a hurry to reach home to help evacuate his family, was trapped on road like many others. He decided to let his driver to park his car at the roadside and he walked home with his bodyguard and his driver. According to the report, the trio had been walking for about two hours when strong current engulfed them, hanged on a tree but unfortunately was hit smack in the head by a lumber that prompted him to lose his grasp on the tree and eventually drowned.
At presstime, Typhoon Pepeng is expected in a few hours and is reportedly much stronger than Ondoy. Hopefully it will spare Pangasinan. We have already been battered enough by Typhoon Cosme last year and Emong this year. And to me, these calamities are very clear that God has a strong message to us. We should pray the ‘Oracio Imperata For Deliverance From Calamities.’ Amen.
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
