For being a role model both on and off the court, 10-year Gilas Pilipinas veteran Gabe Norwood was given his own branch of Chooks-to-Go by Bounty Agro Ventures Incorporated president Ronald Mascariñas, Tuesday afternoon.
Norwood, who was awarded with the first-ever Chooks-to-Go Loyalty Award last November 27, was invited to the Bounty headquarters in Ortigas, Pasig, by BAVI president Ronald Mascariñas, to celebrate the first year of the #ManokNgBayan campaign. Little did he know of the surprise that Bounty had for him.
Led by Mascariñas, the staff of Bounty presented the Filipino-American with a Chooks-to-Go branch of his choosing. BAVI does not make franchising of Chooks-to-Go public, only acceding to individuals that have served the company.
“Oh wow! I did not expect any of this,” said Norwood.
“This makes me want to work harder to represent the country better.”
Besides Norwood’s tenure to the program, what inclined Mascariñas to reward him is how he has been an excellent role model for Filipinos.
“Ever since he came back home back in 2007, he was always humble and kind to everyone,” the chief booster of the national team said. “That’s why this reward is not really for his years in the program. It’s really for the way he has represented the country both locally and internationally.
“Gabe is an individual of exemplary character.”
The founder of Chooks-to-Go initially did not want this meeting to be publicized, but Bounty Sports head Mel Macasaquit pushed to do so to inspire the Filipino youth.
“Boss Ronald did not want this to go out in public but we have to show the Filipino kids that all good things will go rewarded,” said Macasaquit.
Norwood made his national team debut back in 2007 during the Southeast Asian Games. He was also part of the 2013 and 2015 teams that won silver in the FIBA Asia Championship.
