PCBL to stage games in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Barring any hitches, the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League will be bringing in four teams in Cebu to play bearing games under the PCBL 3rd Conference tentatively set on October 21-23.

PCBL is a newly formed purely-commercial amateur basketball tournament that caters to the development and grassroots program for future Filipino cagers.

PCBL chairman Buddy Encarnado made the announcement in an interview with reporters at the sidelines of CESAFI men's basketball action last Thursday at the Cebu Coliseum.

Encarnado was in town for a day to hold initial talks with some stakeholders of Cebu commercial hoopla regarding  PCBL's plan to go nationwide.

  Among those he met were Cebu First District Rep. Gerald Anthony 'Samsam' Gullas, Jr., who is also the team manager of the University of the Visayas Basketball, businessman/sportsman Gerry Oberes, whose annual Emil's Cup keeps Cebu commercial basketball alive for nearly a decade now, and league organizer Val Halen Parmis, whose selfless dedication in promoting basketball in the provinces has inspired Encarnado to push for the expansion of PCBL outside of Metro Manila.

 Encarnado, once a top executive of the PBA representing the Sta. Lucia Realtors, said he looks forward to working with his Cebuano counterparts as they endeavor to further develop homegrown talents and eventually get national team players out of their concerted effort.

 "If you look at the bigger picture of Philippine basketball, gone are the days that we have created hardcourt heroes out of homegrown talents," said Encarnado, who had been actively involved in basketball for the past 34 years.

"That is now my advocacy.Instead of looking  for players outside of the country, we have to dig deeper into our local talents," he added.

 Encarnado said bringing PCBL to the Queen City of the South is part of their bigger plan to create expansion of the league in the Visayas and in other parts of Mindanao.

"Hopefully sometime next year as early as January, we have to create PCBL Cebu and perhaps in Leyte then revive PCBL Davao by that time," said Encarnado.  "If things go well, we have a national PCBL in the future." (FREEMAN)