SIX teams from the different municipalities in the National Capital Region and one province from Northern Luzon will see action in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, which will come off the wraps on Jan. 13.
Newly appointed commissioner Kenneth Duremdes is excited to see a promising season after a huge draw in the pre-season event.
“It’s promising because we can see the excitement building up in the different municipalities we visited. Each time their home team play, fans throw their full support,” Mr. Duremdes told BusinessWorld.
Participating in the first season of the tournament created by Senator Manny Pacquiao are the Bulacan Kuyas, Valenzuela Classic, Marikina Athletics, Tanduay Rhum Masters, Caloocan Supremos, Navotas Redcore, and Muntinlupa.
Mr. Duremdes said the team will have a modest goal in the inaugural staging of the tournament by starting in the Luzon leg.
As soon as they wrap up the Luzon leg, Mr. Duremdes said they will push the league with its Visayan leg as several teams from different provinces in the south had already shown their interest.
“This early, my former teammates, Al Solis and Bonel Balingit, are already asking if we can push through with our program in the south. They told me that there has been no tournament in Cebu for a long time,” added Mr. Duremdes.
Cebu has been the hotbed of basketball in the country, producing some of the biggest names the country has produced, the latest was June Mar Fajardo, the reigning four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the PBA and considered to be the best cage player in the country today.
A former league MVP and named as one of the 40 Greatest Players in the PBA, Mr. Duremdes considers his role as commissioner as probably the most challenging.
“Before, as a player, all you need to do is play and prove your worth,” added Mr. Duremdes. “As commissioner, you’ll experience dealing with different types of people because every territory has different cultures.” — Rey Joble
