Tarlac hoops on the rise

In Tarlac, former Purefoods gunner Tony de la Cerna is somewhat of a folk hero. He played only a year in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) but fans remember de la Cerna fondly for his torrid outside shooting, his gentlemanly behavior, and his shy ways.

Today, de la Cerna is 39 years old, far removed from the PBA where he saw action in 1989. He has transplanted to Tarlac where his wife is from and is busy spreading the gospel of sports to the youth of the capital city.

I bumped into Tony during the opening of the first Tarlac Basketball Association (TBA) season at the Tarlac State University gym on Romulo Boulevard in Tarlac City last Sunday afternoon. He’s the playing coach of the N.M. Espinosa Construction team.

Tony looks just like he did in the PBA. He still sports a Beatle-like hair cut, has a ready smile, and is trim.

What he’s been up to lately? Tony said he trains and plays for the Espinosa club. He also organizes tournaments for kids. He’d like to set up a BEST franchise in Tarlac so he can offer a concrete age-group program for developing hoop skills. Tony said he’s contacting Nic Jorge to find out how to go about establishing the franchise.

Lawyer Bles Buan, an Ateneo blueblood, is the man behind the TBA. He’s the founding commissioner and the league’s moving spirit. Buan said a group of businessmen from Tarlac put their heads and resources together to form the TBA as a vehicle "to give the best opportunities for young players to experience (playing) highly-competitive, highly-charged basketball."

Nine teams signed up for the TBA’s inaugural conference—Chin Wok Foodhouse, Fortune Restaurant, Samsung Electronics, Manchoy Aces, N.M. Espinosa Construction, International Wiring Systems, Sanyo Semiconductor Manufacturing Philippines, Magsikap, and Rolling Water.

Games are played on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at the Bayanihan Institute, Teong Seng and the Benito Chua gym starting 5:30 p.m. The nine participating teams play a single round series in the eliminations then the top four advance to the single round semifinals. The top two finishers of the semifinals move on to dispute the championship in a best-of-three series.

Buan said each team must be sponsored by a Tarlac-based organization and each player must be a bonafide resident of the province. Veterans of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), PBA, Philippine Basketball League (PBL), Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), and other similar leagues must have stopped playing in those leagues at least five years to be eligible to suit up in the TBA.

One of the TBA’s oldest players is 42-year-old Roger Tan, a 6-2 center of Chin Wok. The youngest is 6-2, 15-year-old Kevin Espinosa of N.M. Espinosa Construction.

The tallest player would’ve been N.M. Espinosa’s 6-5 Joel Solis but the 20-year-old center is now enrolled at La Salle Dasmarinas. Among the tallest in the tournament are Samsung’s Russell Pangilinan, Manchoy’s Bener Mariano and Andy Sarmiento, International Wiring’s Gilbert Garcia, and Magsikap’s Eliezer Caoleng—who all stand 6-3.

Chin Wok is a popular Chinese restaurant owned by the Co family. Fortune is a seafood eatery along MacArthur Highway. Samsung is sponsoring a team made up of Bayanihan Institute alumni who regularly play hoops to stay fit. Manchoy is a bar and restaurant that features live bands every night. It is owned by former Tarlac City Mayor Ace Manalang. N.M. Espinosa Construction is owned by Noel Espinosa. International Wiring Systems produces wiring harnesses for cars, motorcycles, and low voltage automobile components. Its factory is located at the Luisita Industrial Park. The company employs over 4,000 workers and is a joint venture of Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Sakata Inx Corp., and JVR Foundation.

Sanyo Semiconductor Manufacturing was established in 1996 and produces integrated circuits for audio and computer equipment at the Luisita Industrial Park. Sanyo’s players are all company employees. Magsikap represents Tarlac’s city government headed by Mayor Aro Mendoza.

Tarlac native Banjo Calpito would’ve been around to inspire his provincemates but he had a game to play for Barangay Ginebra in the PBA that day.

Each team brought along a muse—some with several muses—for the traditional parade during the opening rites. Manchoy brought the house down when the team showed up with movie starlet Camille Roxas, flaunting a treasure chest that puts Pamela Sue Anderson to shame, as one of its muses.

I was called up to the microphone before the opening tip and took the opportunity to congratulate the organizers—Buan, Anthony Tan, Leo Sison, Henry Canasa, Tony Chua, among others—for establishing the TBA. I also shared with the players what I thought Tarlac, as an acronym, could mean to them—T for teamwork, A for attitude, R for role models which they all are as the province’s best basketball players, L for listen to their coach, A for aim for a goal, and C for camaraderie.