Eduard Tio, the big-hearted owner of Freego Jeans, has been appointed chairman of the Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship (PSSBC) which opens shop on December 14 at the SGS gym in Quezon City.
A long-time godfather of Chiang Kai Shek College and recently National University, Tio, 64, replaced Rain or Shine co-team owner Terry Que as chair of the league that has helped nurture several high school players became collegiate stars — the latest of which was Letran star Fran Yu.
Apart from PSSBC, Tio has been supporting various leagues like NBTC, PCABL, HDBL, and MMBL, believing that sports play important roles in one’s life, especially for young ballers.
“I share Freego’s way of helping grassroots sports programs, especially basketball,” said Tio. “I hope I can sustain the growth of the league which our past chairmen initiated.”
“Mr. Tio is a proven leader, so I am confident the league will continue to grow under his leadership,” said Que.
Other Board of Governors are Hapee Toothpaste’s Dr. Cecilio Pedro, Blackwater Sports’ Dioceldo Sy, IronCon Builder’s Jimi Lim, Jumbo Plastic Linoleum’s Jimmy dela Cruz, MEC Networks’ Leoncio Chua and Macbeth Underwear’s Rudy Yu.
Also backing the event are Masumax Food Supplement, Cherrylume Roofing, SUMO GI Sheets, Choi Garden and Molten.
Members of the Management Committee are Commissioner Ato Badolato, Arellano University’s Peter Cayco (representing NCAA), National University’s Nilo Ocampo (UAAP), Sunny Co, Bernard Yang, and Edster Sy.
