MANILA, Philippines - The Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (Asaphil) opens its expanded 2012 National Softball Open Championships in Clarkfield, Pampanga tomorrow with 31 teams, including three foreign teams from Indonesia and Brunei, competing.
“This will be a big boost for Philippine softball as for the first time, we will have two divisions each in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The Open Division will feature teams mostly with national players while the Club Division will provide an opportunity for other teams to compete at their own level,” said sportsman-businessman Jean Henri Lhuillier, ASAPHIL president.
For the first time in a long while, three foreign teams – two in the women’s side and one in the men’s – have registered for the event with two of the three teams powered by Filipino players in both divisions.
Kensei Club, owned by the Princess of Brunei, has national player Apol Rosales, Edzel Manuel and Roldan Bacarisas and a strong Canadian pitcher. In the women’s side, Blu Girls Esmeralda Tayag and Dione Macasu will lead the charge for the Papua Province team from Indonesia.
Sponsors are Cebuana Lhuillier, Cebuana Pera Padala, Cebuana Lhuillier Insurance Solutions, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank, Just Jewels, Le Soleil de Boracay, Phiten, TJ Hotdogs, Purefoods Chicken Nuggets, Smokey’s Sausages, Hungry Juan, Department of Tourism- Reg 3, and Clark Development Corporation.
The Men’s Open division participants are Air Force, Navy, Army, Rizal Technological U, Zamboanga, Jk.com zamboanga, Salazar Institute of Technology-Cebu, Kensei and West Java.
At the club level, last year’s champion M.S. Marikina leads eight other teams – Bulacan State U, Angeles City, Bacolod and the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna and Albay.
Defending women’s Open champion Adamson University will contend with the Adamson University Alumni team, University of the East, RTU, and the two foreign teams – Papua Province and West Java-Indonesia.
Competing at the club level are Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Sto. Tomas, University of Makati, Central Luzon State U, NCR, Baguio and Antipolo.
Simple opening ceremonies will be held tomorrow with special guests Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, CDC chairman Ge. Eduardo Oban Jr., DOT regional director Ronnie Tiotuico, and the ASAPHIl Board led by Jean Henri Lhuillier gracing the occasion.