PBL finds a backer in RFM

The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) is the first major beneficiary of RFM’s thrust to tap the youth sector.

The giant conglomerate came to terms with officials of the 20-year old league to sponsor its season-opening tournament, well aware of the PBL’s potential to discover and develop young talents.

Dubbed the Sunkist-PBL Unity Cup, the three-month long meet kicks off this coming Sunday with a lavish opening rites at the San Juan gym highlighting the league’s celebration of its two decade of existence.

"This is our way of supporting the PBL in our capacity to help the kids and the youth to develop their talents," said RFM president and corporate executive Officer Joey Concepcion III during a rare appearance in the PSA Forum yesterday at the Holiday Inn hotel.

With Concepcion in the public sports program which has Red Bull, Agfa Colors and Pioneer Insurance for sponsors were RFM consultant Elmer Yanga, PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad, league chairman Dioceldo Sy and Bobong Velez, who will serve as the PBL’s new marketing partner.

A founding member of the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL), the forerunner of the PBL, RFM made its comeback to the league last conference when it fielded a Sunkist team build around the core of the University of the East ballclub.

This time, the firm decided to put its resources to support the cause of the league.

"It’s actually better to sponsor the league than to maintain a team because you’ll no longer get worried whether your winning or not," admitted Concepcion, who, for 12 years, served as league chairman, the longest in the history of the PBL.

"Besides, the PBL has a lot of promise," Concepcion said of the league, having produced most of the cage stars now playing in the country’s professional league.

Trinidad welcomed the entry of RFM as a big boost to the league’s continued existence, especially at this time of the season when the PBL again lost several of its top attractions to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

"Taun-taon naman natatanggalan tayo ng mga players, pero taun-taon din, may mga dumarating," said the outspoken commissioner, who cited the likes of Ranidel de Ocampo, James Yap, Paul Artadi, Jun Simon, Mark Cardona, Irvin Sotto, Tristan Codamon and Eric dela Cuesta as among the potential stars in this year’s PBL batch.

Seeing such list of talents is what made RFM decide to support the league, according to Concepcion, whose firm shells out P60 million a year when it was still maintaining a professional ballclub.