KEEN on providing a worthy avenue for Filipinos’ passion for basketball—regardless of age and profession—Sinag Liga Asya launches the inaugural Department of Justice (DOJ) Inter-Agency Secretary’s Cup kicking off on Jan. 11, Saturday, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
With Okada Manila, the country’s leading casino resort and hotel complex as co-presenter along with Hotel 101 Global and Fulitech, nine teams led by the DOJ are set to do battle in the meet making a return but now under SLA after a 10-year hiatus.
“We are very excited to be here lalo na po ang DOJ ang unang napili ng SLA to be a participant in the inter-agency basketball tournament,” Justice Assistant Secretary Atty. Mico Clavano said yesterday during the league launch at the Izakaya Geronimo in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.“We hope this league will bring us closer together dahil sa isang department kailangan po talaga na iyong camaraderie between the agencies is very strong, for us to be an efficient and effective department.
“Kaya nagpapasalamat po talaga kami sa Sinag Liga Asya dahil pinili nila kami sa chance na makapaglaro at maipakita din iyong skills. We are very happy and very blessed na nandito po tayo lahat and we are very excited for this tournament to finally get it kick-started. We just wanted to, again, thank our sponsors Okada Manila and Hotel 101 for also making this possible,” he added.
Also out to contend for the title are the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), Land Registration Authority (LRA), and the Parole and Probation Administration.
Gracing the press conference were SLA chairman Rocky Chan, president and chief executive officer Ray Alao, chief operating officer Leo Isaac, Commissioner Rodney Santos and his deputies John Ferriols and EJ Feihl in the tilt supported by 0107 Management Inc., Izakaya Geronimo, Sunsport, J Project, and with broadcast partners Blast TV, Fiber TV, and Cablelink.
“I just want to clarify kasi na itong league na ito not a single centavo of the DOJ budget was used. This was all hosted by Sinag Liga Asia sila pa iyong naghanap ng mga sponsors para dito,” Clavano said of the tourney supported by DOJ chief Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.
“Not a single centavo was used by the DOJ from its budget but also not a single peso will be spent by any of the teams doon sa uniforms sa bola, sa pagkain which was all graciously sponsored by Sinag Liga Asya.”
DOJ takes on PCGG in the opening match at 6 p.m. after the opening ceremonies at 2 o’clock while NBI battles BI in the nightcap at 8 p.m.
Games will be played at 6 and 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, and 5 and 7 p.m. every Saturday for the government agencies to be free from work-related conflict.
Tournament format will be a single-round robin preliminaries. No team will be eliminated with the top two squads advancing outright to the semifinals while the eight and ninth-ranked sides clashing in a knockout tiff with the winner joining the No. 7 quint in the playoffs against Nos. 5 and 6.
The victors will face No. 3 and 4 which will enjoy twice-to-beat incentives for spots in the semis. The Big Dance will be a one-game showdown.
