Missing out on SEA Games, college esports champ LPU relishes Sibol MLBB qualifiers bid

MANILA, Philippines – Two-time Collegiate Center for Esports (CCE) champions Lyceum of the Philippines is soaking in the adventure of being able to compete in the Sibol National Team Selection qualifiers recently.

CCE MVP Mark Kenneth “Mark” Delos Reyes, Marc Joseph “Marc” Balcita, Remarch “Lust” Eusebio, Ralph Joshua “Alas” Araz and Merlin “MERL1N” Lintan were all able to strut their stuff in the country's biggest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang scene, competing for a chance to represent Sibol in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this May.

Though they ultimately fell short, the Paul Adrienne “FAE” Huang-coached Pirates were still able to test their mettle against the best in the country, like reigning pro champs Blacklist International and recently crowned M4 world champions ECHO Philippines.

The Pirates fell in the quarterfinals against AP Esports, 2-0, as the qualifiers saw Bren Esports rule the tiff with its coach Francis “Duckeyyy” Glindro taking the honor of selecting the squad from the semifinalists of the qualifiers which also included ECHO, ONIC Philippines, and GameLab for the biennial meet.

As LPU was among the limited amateur squads who got the call up to the qualifiers, CCE president Stanley Lao was grateful for the recognition from the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO).

"We are gracious for the acknowledgement that the PESO has given CCE and we hope to inspire more colleges and universities in the country to follow suit and embrace esports as a legitimate sport," he said.

LPU's stint in the national team qualifiers preface a busy year for CCE, with Galaxy Racer and Smart, with SM Mall of Asia, Cyberzone, Legion by Lenovo, Mountain Dew, Hawk Bags, Fantech, Huawei AppGallery as sponsors, and MPL-Philippines serving as an official partner, as they are now gearing up for Season 3 of their MLBB tournament.

CCE currently has LPU, Letran, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, Mapua,San Beda University, Arellano, Jose Rizal University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, College of St. Benilde and University of Perpetual Help System-DALTA as its pioneer members with hopes of expansion this year after gaining massive interest from other schools.