UAAP – Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

ABS-CBN Sports

Apart from the 11,000 jobs lost and the disappearance of Ang Probinsyano, one of the biggest losers with the stoppage of the TV giant is sports.

Thanks to the ABS-CBN Sports+Action channel, we’ve enjoyed countless hours of sports entertainment. There’s the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). There’s the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a league founded in 1924 that has flourished because of the live coverage of teams like San Beda, Letran, Mapua and Arellano.

The Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR) is another prominent show. Led by Cherry Rondina of Compostela, Cebu, the sport of beach volleyball is popular. Since the first TV broadcast in Boracay in 2016, BVR has volleyed from one beach site to another, including our own white sand paradise in Moalboal. It’s a huge loss not to be able to watch beach volleyball on TV.

Pinoy Pride. Led by the father-and-son tandem of Antonio and Michael Aldeguer, the ALA Boxing group rejuvenated our love for boxing — thanks in part to the innumerable hours of Pinoy Pride bouts showcased in ABS-CBN Sports.

Last May, while the planet was in lockdown, a series of every-Sunday features were showcased in S+A. On May 4, it was Albert Pagara. Two weeks later, it was former world champ Milan Melindo. Last May 24, it was Donnie Nietes, the longest-reigning Filipino boxing champion, in “Pinoy Pride Greatest Hits: Into The Snake’s Pit.”

Goodbye, Pinoy boxing. There’s more. It’s the PVL or Premier Volleyball League. This sport — thanks to TV coverage — has gained the biggest following in the past six years.

Remember Alyssa Valdez? She’s the country’s most famous female athlete. I’ve seen her at the Araneta Coliseum and you’ll be amazed at the thousands of fans who, like magnets, flock to her. Television has helped promote Alyssa and Jia Morado, among others. If none of their PVL games involving Pocari vs. Creamline vs. BaliPure were broadcasted, volleyball would not be as celebrated. Volleyball has been dealt a powerful spike. Out!

Then there’s Manny Pacquiao. Without question the greatest ever Filipino athlete, ABS-CBN Sports helped lift his stature by airing incalculable hours of his boxing exploits. Plus, Pacquiao is the founder of Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Pitting city versus city, you’ve got the San Juan Knights against Marikina Shoemasters. The MPBL, in just a few years, has risen to prominence — thanks to S+A’s coverage. I’m disappointed in Pacquiao. Given his influence as a (still active) boxer and senator, he did not do more to stop the stoppage of ABS.

Finally, the UAAP. Oh, how we’ll miss watching La Salle vs. Ateneo. Through the years, in football or basketball or volleyball, we’ve been privileged to watch live, pulsating action of the country’s top collegiate league. As Thirdy Ravena said goodbye to Ateneo, we say, goodbye UAAP.

Why did ABS-CBN and S+A get knocked out? If this were boxing, our government officials can do all the weaving and bobbing, but we know the truth: it’s a dirty punch called Politics.

UAAP 80

MANILA — If Cebu has the CESAFI, Metro Manila has the UAAP and the NCAA. Spelled in full, the UAAP stands for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines while the NCAA means the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

What’s the difference between the UAAP and NCAA? The former is for universities while the latter is for colleges. Right? Well, not exactly, because out of the several NCAA member schools, a few are universities (Jose Rizal University, Mapua University, and Arellano University).

Based on my research, the UAAP schools are bigger: six of their eight members have more than 10,000 students while only four of 10 from the NCAA exceed the 10,000 population.

Why won’t the two leagues combine so there’s one champion for the whole of Metro Manila? This makes sense. It’s too complicated, I’m sure, but in terms of awarding the trophy to the one and only champion, this makes sense.

I was in Manila last weekend to watch my daughter Jana play UAAP Season 80 tennis for Ateneo. Against UP, the Lady Eagles tennis squad defeated the Lady Maroons, 4-1, with Jana scoring a strong 6-1, 6-0 singles win. (The contests include three singles matches and two doubles matches per encounter.) Now on her third year in college, Jana has played on the same venue the past three years: the hard-courts of Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

After cheering for the Atenean netters last Sunday, we hopped to the nearby baseball stadium where the Ateneo batters were playing UP. We stayed only for a few minutes and witnessed a few hits off the alumimum bats of the men’s players.

Past 4 p.m. two days ago, we sat in the bleachers to watch another UP vs. Ateneo encounter. This trio of games can be called the “Battle of Katipunan” as both campuses are found along Katipunan Avenue.

We watched football. Hundreds of spectators filled the rafters, majority wearing either maroon-colored shirts or blue. Among the notable Cebuanos that I identified as players included King Miyagi (of UP) and Enzo Ceniza and Koko Gaudiel.

The first half was scoreless and, early in the 2nd half, a scuffled ensued as security personnel entered the field to pacify the two heated clubs. Sam Lim of Ateneo was sent off and this led to the Blue Eagles’ having only 10 players on the field. In the 75th minute, JR Borlongan of UP scored the lone goal to win the game for the Fighting Maroons, 1-0.

I called my sports editor Mike Limpag while watching the game to update him of the heated battle. We also talked about the beautiful artificial turf of the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Calling on Cebu City councilors Joy Young (who was the architect behind the Cebu City Sports Center and the rubberized oval’s rehabilitation a few years back), Jun Gabuya, Jerry Guardo, Joel Garganera, Mary Ann de los Santos and our other sports-loving leaders: let’s transform the CCSC into an all-weather artificial grass football field!

Green and blue clash in UAAP 79

No rivalry in Philippine sports rivals the confrontation between La Salle and Ateneo.

In academics, they wage mental warfare. In business, one school brags that Danding Cojuangco started kindergarted in 1940 and finished high school in a green-colored campus; the other school boasts of Manny Pangilinan graduating cum laude (Economics). In the halls of power, Michael Dino and Bong Go finished management courses from DLSU while Carlos Dominguez III and Silvestre Bello III received diplomas whose leather covers are colored blue. But above all, the tug-of-war is best exemplified in the arena called sports.

Yesterday at 3:30 p.m., the dream finale that both campuses envisioned became real. (I did not have time to write this piece chronicling Game 1 but will focus on their history.)

The first La Salle-Ateneo skirmish happened in 1939. In the final of the NCAA men’s championship, La Salle won, 27-23. Yes, no wrong typing there; the score in that contest 77 years ago was that low. Since then, the duel has flourished.

Since 1939, the two schools have taken turns winning. The next time they met in the NCAA finals was in 1958; on this occasion, the game was high scoring (105-103) with Ateneo claiming victory. In 1974 (the last time they’ll meet in the NCAA Finals), it was La Salle’s turn, 90-80.

When the battle shifted to the UAAP, they met four times in the championship. In 1988, ADMU bested DLSU in only one game because they held the twice-to-beat advantage. Three years later, La Salle recovered the trophy, winning the Game 3 decider, 93-88. The following year (2002), it was another third-game thriller but with Ateneo victorious, 77-70. And finally, in 2008, it was a clean two-game sweep as the Chris Tiu-led Blue Eagles (with Rabeh Al-Hissaini, Nonoy Baclao and Ryan Buenafe) won with Norman Black as head coach. It would be the start of an incredible five-year winning streak for the Blue Eagles.

The next year, in 2013, who would dethrone the champs to claim bragging rights? Who else but the Green Archers. In all, both squads have won eight UAAP men’s collegiate basketball crowns. How closer can this rivalry get?

With the 2016 season, La Salle dominated. Led by the MVP (and former Cebu cager) Ben Mbala, the green team were unbeatable. In the first round, they not only demolished all their opponents but embarrassed the blue squad, 97-81. That was in Oct. 2. Then, it looked like La Salle was en route to a clean sweep of the eliminations… before one team slapped their daydream and woke them up. It was, of course, Ateneo who scored the lone upset (83-71).

Who’s favored to win the trophy? Ateneo has the momentum. They won the last time they met and have won their last six elimination games and, including the escape over FEU last Wednesday, they’ve won six of their last seven. Plus, maybe the Archers are rusty after a 10-day gap before yesterday’s Game 1.

La Salle? Heavy favorites. Prior to the Final Four, they finished with a 13-1 slate. Ben Mbala is unstoppable, playing with these regular-season averages: 20.6 PPG, 16 RPG and 2.4 BPG — all first in the league. When you study the team statistics, La Salle leads in all but one of the nine departments, including points per game (88.1 average) and rebounds (52.3 per game).

My pick? It’s hard to bet against the university located along Taft Avenue. Plus, I’m biased. I studied eight years in La Salle Bacolod and suited the green jersey as we won the city-wide elementary title. Also, my uncle Rey Pages, my dad’s younger brother, played for the Green Archers in the 1970s before he turned pro with Crispa and Utex.

My head (analysis) and history (past schooling) go with La Salle. But times have changed… since our only child Jana Marie has enrolled in the campus along Katipunan Avenue, my green mind has turned blue-blooded.

MOA’s Arena

I was in Manila over the weekend. Attending the 32nd national anniversary of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP), the 4,000+ attendees crowded the SMX.

What else did I see at SM’s Mall of Asia? A giant, glass-covered dome that will soon be one of the most hi-tech and applauded of coliseums in this continent.

Mall of Asia Arena gleamed and sparkled when lighted by the summer sun. Workers installed roof beams. Maintenance staff wiped the see-through walls. Construction is at full speed.

The reason? Barely a month is left before the long-awaited “We’re Open!” sign is hung from the entrance. On May 19, the 16,000-seating-capacity gymnasium will open. Two nights later, on May 21, it’s the concert of the concert queen herself, Lady Gaga.

Sports? Ahhh. NBA exhibition games? Check. Nadal-Djokovic? Double-check (meaning, we’re hopeful!). UAAP and NCAA games? Check.

This sports arena is long-overdue in Manila. The Smart Araneta Coliseum is 52 years old. That’s grandfather-age. It’s time for a world-caliber venue for sports and concerts.

According to details I obtained via Google, the venue… “boasts of floorings by Robbins Inc., Spalding basketball goals, Daktronics scoreboard—similar to what the NBA is using—and LED ribbon boards surrounding the 3rd and 5th floors. There are press rooms… and four dugouts. Another feature is the Corporate Suites—private rooms with their own restroom, mini bar, sofas and a private gallery with cinema seats. Occupants will be entitled to a season pass for all the shows.”

They have 31 of these Suites for rent. How much? They offer one- to 5-year leases between P9 to P12 million. Wow.

Ateneo scores a three-peat as FEU turns blue

Jourdan Andrew Dunque Polotan is the president of the Ateneo Alumni Association, Cebu Chapter. The color of his blood is not red or pink — it’s blue. Back in 1987, he finished his B.S. Management (Honors Program) along Katipunan Avenue on 100 percent scholarship. He considers those ADMU years as “one of the best times to be in university.” Why? Jourdan narrates: “1983 – Ninoy was assassinated. 1983 – ‘85 Protest Movement. ‘86 People Power. ‘87 Constitutional Commission. 1987: first of our back-to-back victories in the UAAP.”

Last Thursday, “Brother,” as I call Jourdan — one of my best friends from the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) — was out gallivanting in Manila. Inside the cavernous Araneta Coliseum, he cheered for Team Blue to slaughter the Green Squad. Yes, blue was Ateneo but, no, green wasn’t the usual green, La Salle. It was FEU and the game three days ago was Game 2 of the UAAP Final.

“I arrived in the Big Dome at least two hours before,” said Jourdan. “Cubao was a sea of blue. And most anyone you met in blue would smile at you, as if we were all long time friends. You just gravitated to the restos and coffee shops teeming with Blue Eagle fans — they came in all sizes, shapes and ages. Teachers, students, administration, Jesuits… A nod, a smile, it was great to be part of one big family. You were bound to bump into someone you knew.”

It was Mr. Polotan’s first UAAP Finals live game to watch. “The tickets were always very, very hard to get,” he said. “I asked a friend for a ticket or two. ‘Best efforts’ lang daw. Even before Game 1, I asked to buy tickets to Game 2. I knew Game 2 would be hard fought — the winner of Game 1 would like to finish it there, and the loser would like to extend the series. Three days… two… one day before the game, still no ticket.

“The day before the game, I flew in to Manila for a business meeting. I told my friend that nag leap of faith na lang ko. I was in Manila already. He asked for a few more hours. A few hours passed, and I got a text to call his office. Viola! I had one ticket in the Patron Section at the original price of P300.

“On the morning of game day, I had one more meeting then I rushed to Ateneo to pay and pick-up my ticket. On the way, I called one of my professors and asked him out to lunch. Of course, he said yes. Him and his wife, dear friends of mine, treated me to a Japanese lunch just across campus. Sa resto pa lang, you saw families all decked out in blue talking about the game to come. Coach Sandy (one of the assistant coaches) walked in. We said, “Hi coach.” He approached our table, shook hands and we wished him and the team luck. “Tapusin natin ito, coach,” I said. You could see in his face they were ready.

“The noise in the Big Dome was loud. The drums were so loud that you could feel your chest pounding. I sat between two total strangers, both in blue, but it was as if we knew each other a long time. We shared notes about the players and team strategy. We agreed on one thing: it seemed like our team’s strategy was to take out FEU players one by one thru foul trouble. True enough… There were ‘graduates.’”

Jourdan, a sports buff and muscular left-hander like Nadal who adores Federer, saw—from Cebu—Jack Huang and his sons. He also saw a few batch mates… “one of the more famous ones — SC spokesman/administrator Midas Marquez.” He added: “Chito Loyzaga was in the row in front of me. When we won, we were high-fiving.”

Finally, I asked why coach Norman Black, of all his victories, would call this championship–especially Game 2’s 65-62 win—Ateneo’s “sweetest victory.” Jourdan explained: “No super stars. You can say we had ONE HELL OF A TEAM. Can you imagine — not one Blue Eagle was in the Mythical 5? It means no one stood out as a superstar. Everyone was a superstar, a clutch player. You never knew who would step up and carry the team on a particular game. That is why it was so sweet. Our opponents just did not know who to pounce on.”