Palawan cagefest resumes in Puerto

MANILA, Philippines - The chase for the four final slots in two age-group brackets of the Palawan Basketball Association (PaBA) resumed recently in Puerto Princesa with the winning teams set to win a two-classroom school building worth P1 million plus cash to their respective members.

The PaBA is a joint project of Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation (RTNMC) and Coral Bay Nickel Corp. (CBNC) and involves 13 towns on the main island of Palawan competing for the championships of the 23-and-under (juniors) and 24-and-above (seniors) age groups.

The runners-up will each geta  P500,000 worth of classroom school plus cash.

Ten towns on the main island (Aborlan, Bataraza, Brooke’s Point, El Nido, Roxas, Taytay, Quezon, Rizal and San Vicente) are represented by one team per age bracket while Palawan City has three teams in each category.

The LGU-based teams are divided into three conferences with the towns of El Nido, Roxas, San Vicente and Taytay making up the North Conference; the town of Aborlan and the three teams from Puerto Princesa composing the Central Conference; and the LGU teams from Bataraza, Brooke’s Point, Narra, Quezon and Rizal making up the Southern Conference.

The league fired off last March 29 at the City Coliseum of Puerto Princesa in simple rites graced by provincial and LGU officials and PaBA organizers, headed by project director and former national coach Jose Lipa and executive director and Nickel Asia Corp. vice president JB Baylon.

PBA stars Jireh Ibanes, a native of Roxas, Palawan, and Gary David also graced the event.