Inter-commercial league in the offing

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

IF things don’t miscarry, an inter-commercial basketball league will be held in the province and most likely to commence this coming December 8 at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) in Lingayen.

Roberto “Jun” Amado, the chief organizer, told this writer days ago that at least eight teams are going to participate. And as of this writing, according to him, four squads have already confirmed their participation and the first to register was the province of La Union’s well-known quintet called “Think God”, a religious missionary basketball group.

The other participants are Total Gas of Lingayen, L.B.S of Mangaldan and Team Sta. Barbara.

Also most likely to join are Pangasinan’s multi-titlist University of Luzon, Team Acuña of Manaoag, Abono of Villasis, Team Alaminos and probably the Guam based Jazy Sportswear.

The league will be dubbed the “First Martina Farm Open Basketball Tournament” with Lingayen businessman Frederick Teodoro as the main sponsor. Fernando H. Romero was appointed to commission the league.

Amado also said that there will be an entry fee of P10,000 for each team and incentive  cash prizes with a total amount of P80,000 plus trophies and medals will be up for grabs.

The breakdown of prizes, rules, color of uniforms, officiating and other matters will be tackled in a meeting tomorrow at the NRSCC.

Interested parties can call Amado’s cellphone numbers 0910-5287504 or 0927-8860747.

If this project pushes through, and I’m confident it will, this will be the biggest commercial basketball league after more than three decades.

As far as I know, the last time that a big league of this kind took place in the province was in the early 80s. It was called the Bayawak Clan Basketball Tournament organized by Atty. Aquilino Bolinas and won by ERDC team owned by Mangaldan construction magnate Eduardo Dee with ex-PBA and PABL players Nelson Asaytono and Joseph Pelaez, respectively, at the helm.

Nothing similar followed since and we don’t know why. Maybe due to financial, mental and physical woes.

But this time it will be revived with a different title, different organizers, and different format.

I hope it will be successful.

* * * * * *

 Kudos to Mapandan Mayor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim Jr. and Kagawad Mamerto Eden Jr. for successfully holding the First Mapandan Sports Clinic for table tennis, taekwondo, badminton and soccer on November 11, 17 and 18.

The project was exclusive for Mapandanon kids aged seven to 12 and was sponsored by the Mapandan Fitness Council under the initiative of the boyish-looking hizzoner Calimlim and supported by the HOPE (Helping Other People Excel) group under the chairmanship of the town’s alderman Eden.

According to Eden, table tennis and badminton were conducted at the Congressman Tulagan’s gymnasium, taekwondo at Central School Teachers Hall and soccer at the town’s plaza.

Mapandan, which used to be a bucolic place with only 15 barangays and just about a 25,000 population, has already produced two sports heroes in the persons of the late Mamerto Eden Sr. and Francis Ron Servito.

Eden Sr. (father of Kgd. Eden) won the prestigious Tour of Luzon in 1958 and the 1985 PAL International Marathon in the master division, aside from bagging the first runner-up plum during the 1961 First National Marathon, which was topped by provincemate Virgilio Pama of Manaoag.

High school sophomore and RP team member Servito, on the other hand, captured the gold medal last year in the South Korea Invitational Taekwondo Championship in his age category.

According to experts, the young boy is expected to win more international medals for the country in the near future.

Carry on with the good work, guys! We need you in the field of sports.  

Mabuhay ang Pangasinan.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/
Readers may reach columnist at biking.jess@yahoo.com . For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)

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