Five days before the first leg of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 President’s Cup opens its doors, all 12 pioneering teams joined hands to celebrate the staging of the first-of-the-kind league.
The 12 teams are event host Vigan Baluarte Wolves, 1Bataan Risers, Bacoor Strikers, Bulacan Kuyas, Cebu-Max 4 Birada, Marikina Shoemasters, Pasay Voyagers, Pasig-Grindhouse Kings, Quezon City-Zark’s Jawbreakers, Go for Gold-San Juan Knights, Valenzuela Classic, and Zamboanga Valientes.
Vigan playing owner Christian Singson hosted the fellowship gathering held at SS Happy Life docked at the Manila Yacht Club Monday afternoon. Yes, the same yacht that hosts the contestants of Ms. Universe.
“So, sa labas ng court tropa tayo. Pero sa loob, magkalaban tayo,” quipped Singson.
“For tonight, let’s all just enjoy before returning to our practices tomorrow.”
It was a night filled with stories and laughter, as almost 60 representatives from each team feasted on the food served by Dario Ristorante Italiano.
Seeing how united the team owners are, league owner Ronald Mascariñas and commissioner Eric Altamirano emphasized that each team are also stakeholders for Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3. Moreover, they emphasized that the goal of the league is to contribute points to the country’s Olympic dreams in 3×3 basketball.
“First of all, thank you very much Christian for hosting this fellowship. We wanted the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 league to be a model on how a league should be run. A league that will be operated like a family with all respect to the members. Just like how we run BAVI,” said Mascariñas, the president of Bounty Agro Ventures Inc.
“Just to share with you, we have billions and billions of investments in the country. Contract farms, processing plants, and the likes, to be honest with you, we don’t own anything of those – those are all investments from our business partners. This is the same mindset we want to have in our league.”
“We would like to thank Christian for hosting this gathering. A few more days, we are about to start our first conference. For sure, you are all excited and we as well are. Just want to echo what Boss Ronald said, we are doing this for the country,” added Altamirano.
“I hope that you embrace the mission that Chooks-to-Go has which is to help the country reach the 2020 Olympics.”
The President’s Cup begins on Saturday, February 16, at the SM Megamall Events Center.
