Small-town locals build “Court of Inspiration”

CEBU, Philippines - Quick, name one Filipino adult who has never set foot on a basketball court in his entire life.

Nearly impossible, isn't it?

For a game that favors relatively tall people, it's rather impressive how basketball has permeated Filipino culture. To this day, it is the nation's most popular sport. Here, the passion is so great that you'd see people play it while wearing slippers, sandals, or sometimes, even barefoot. But nothing reinstates this fact better than the presence of basketball hoops everywhere-on the sides of buildings, in front of sari-sari stores, even in the middle of the street.

More than Just a Sports Venue

Basketball is so deeply ingrained in the local culture; it's hard to find a neighborhood that doesn't have a basketball court tucked somewhere. Virtually every town has it. In fact, there are more basketball courts than there are barangay health centers. Moneyed districts often pride themselves with a "covered court." Meanwhile, places such as Barangay Casuntingan in Mandaue City make do with a ring that isn't even cemented.

More than just being a location for recreation however, these places serve a bigger social purpose. Be it a council meeting or the barangay singing contest, basketball courts are default venues for holding community events. Is the school year about to end? There's a good chance that the local public school will hold graduation ceremonies there. Did a typhoon ravage the neighborhood? Expect the covered court to be turned into an evacuation center. In a sense, the place has become the de facto town square for most communities.

Inspiring Greatness

"To Filipinos, the basketball court is a symbol of the community spirit," says Kristine Martinez, Alaxan FR Product Director, citing how a people bound by a common love for the game go to the courts not just to hone their skills, but also to bond with the rest of the community. "It's a cultural icon, one that carries huge social impact," she stresses.

Seeing the potential to drive social value, Alaxan FR is harnessing the power of the community through the Galing Mo! campaign. This is a collaborative effort between small-town locals to construct these symbols of community and turn them into something that moves people to aim for greatness.

Driven by the desire to provide their community with its first real basketball court, locals from Barangay Casuntingan in Mandaue City are coming together to build their own "Court of Inspiration" under the campaign. Upon completion, the place will be filled with "Legend Markers"-marking areas with powerful messages conveying accomplishments and legacies of basketball legends-inspiring them to strive hard to accomplish the same. Through the effort, Alaxan FR aims to teach the locals to embody the values that make champions.

Given that Barangay Casuntingan in Mandaue City's most industrially-diverse barangay, the project's completion would mean that the community will have the perfect place of convergence for residents of varied disciplines.

Rewarding Greatness

Barangay Casuntingan is just one of the places chosen for the construction of Courts of Inspiration. Aside from Cebu, the advocacy is expected to break ground in Tacloban. Courts were already unveiled Iloilo, Dumaguete, Butuan, Bacolod, Sarangani, Cagayan de Oro and Davao. Through these projects, the campaign encourages people to take pride in their body pain, because it is a testament to the hard work they have given in creating something that will greatly benefit their community-a court that doesn't just hone their skills, but builds character as well.

"I was impressed with people's willingness to jump at the opportunity to serve their community at our initial project in Iloilo, and I believe I'll witness the same level of enthusiasm in the communities where succeeding Courts of Inspiration are to be built," added Martinez. "For the noble effort that people have exerted for the projects, we're planning to give them a special treat after the completion of the projects. That's something they should watch out for," she ends. (FREEMAN)