PBA legends to train future stars in Alaxan cage camp

MANILA, Philippines - The Alaxan FR Galing Mo Camp culminates with 50 young promising players from Visayas and Mindanao gathered in a basketball training program to be conducted by cage legends April 17-19 at the Unilever Gym in Pasig.

Five players each from Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Sarangani, Tacloban and Zamboanga attend the national camp with the top 10 performers to win cash prizes for themselves on top of a P100,000 financial grant for a community project of their choice.

These youth were chosen from almost a thousand who participated in the provincial legs of the Alaxan FR Galing Mo Camp. They were handpicked by instructors cage legends Alvin Patrimonio, Benjie Paras, Jerry Codiñera, Johnny Abarrientos, Jojo Lastimosa and Ronnie Magsanoc.

“They are all winners already, given this opportunity to go to Manila and play before coaches looking to discover talents for their schools,” said Abarrientos. “Even myself is in search of players whom I can recommend for our FEU team.”

“We didn’t just select them for their skills. They were chosen according to their display of hard work and determination because these are the traits that make champions,” said Paras.

Lastimosa said Alaxan FR Galing Mo Camp envisions to empower aspiring youth to work hard for the benefit of themselves and their communities.

Magsanoc, meanwhile, pointed out their training camp is part of a nationwide advocacy by Alaxan FR to turn pain into a source of pride.

“The program aims to promote a culture of hard work and dedication, where pain is seen as a badge of honor,” Magsanoc said. “Kaming mga Thunders (cage legends) may kanya-kanya rin aray na pinagdaanan. It’s about overcoming this pain.”

Last year, the same basketball legends inaugurated the Courts of Inspiration, which are volunteer-built basketball courts made by the locals from the partner villages. Their aim was to inspire communities to achieve greatness through hard work, after building a basketball court entirely on their own. The said legends even left hand prints on special concrete markers, as a reminder of what hard work and dedication can bring to a community that works together.