Red Durano basketball tournament: Additional P1M bounty for top winners

CEBU, Philippines - The overall winners of the 4th Cong. Red Durano Cup basketball tournament will get an additional bounty amounting to P1 million.

Cebu Fifth District Rep. Red Durano announced in a press conference yesterday at Bo’s Coffee-Parkmall that the champion team will reap P500,000 worth of develoment projects for the municipality/city it represents, while the second and third will receive P300,000 and P200,000, respectively.

That is on top of the P50,000 cash prize for the grand winner and P30,000, P20,000 and P15,000 for the second to fourth placers.

Now on its fourth year, the annual tilt kicked off with a bang yesterday at the Danao City Sports and Civic Center.

The highlight of the show was the exhibition match between the PBA Legends and collegiate powerhouse University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers of coach Elmer “Boy” Cabahug, himself a PBA superstar during his prime.

Among the PBA Legends who thrilled a hoard of spectators to the bones were Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codiñera, Joey Sta. Maria, Bong Hawkins, Bong Alvarez, Rey Evangelista, Zaldy Realubit, Bonel Balingit, Peter Naron, Nelson Asaytono and Al Solis, currently the assistant coach of UV.

“This is an event that people from the fifth district are looking forward to every year. This year, we want to make it extra special that is why we’re inviting the PBA Legends,” said Durano. “We also want to emphasize that sports is one of our advocacies in our districts. It is one way of complimenting any form of developmental endeavor.”

A total of 11 teams are taking part in the tournament that is expected to run for two months. These are host Danao City, Liloan, Compostela, Carmen, Sogod, Catmon, Borbon and the four cluster municipalities comprising Camotes Island in Poro, Tudela, San Francisco and Pilar.

Cebu 5th District Sports Commission chairman Alex de la Torre said the competition follows a single round robin format in the elimination round. 

The top three in the mainland and the best finisher in the island group will proceed into the semifinals where they play another single round robin. The top two will then slug it out for the coveted championship.

Driven by their objective to scout for new talents, De la Torre said varsity and commercial players are barred from joining the contest.

“We are really targeting the youth. We want to develop raw talents that is why we are not allowing varsity and commercial players to join the tournament,” said De la Torre. “We want to discover talents who could make it big someday.”