Kia excited about PBA bid
She’s more of a UAAP cage fan than a PBA rooter, the lady executive admitted, and she played varsity volleyball rather than basketball for the University of Santo Tomas, her alma mater.
But Ginia Roxas Domingo, president of Columbia Autocar Corporation, believes that the Philippine Basketball Association is the best vehicle to advertise her product.
That was the reason she was at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City last Monday. CAC and D-League teams NLEX and Blackwater, the three entities applying for membership to the country’s premier cage league, had been required by the PBA commissioner’s office to submit their company’s financial profile for due diligence that day.
“We have submitted a letter of intent previously,” said Domingo. “Kia Motors is reputed worldwide to be very aggressive in sports marketing, so we’re knocking on the PBA door. We’re all very excited about joining the league.”
Proof that she and her board have taken the right step is that Kia has attracted the attention of the market.
“People who come to our showrooms are all inquiring when the brand will be in the PBA. The customers are just as excited as we in the company are,” she said.
Until they get board approval, Domingo said her office will defer making plans for the formation of the Kia team.
“We will know in April or May,” she said.
CAC, Blackwater and NLEX are expected to get the green light from the PBA board.
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At the start of the school year, Ateneo’s program head for volleyball Sherwin Malonso issued a modest but very realistic forecast for his Lady Eagles, who have not won a title in the UAAP.
“The last time Ateneo won a volleyball championship was in 1977, if I remember correctly, and it wasn’t in the UAAP but in the NCAA,” Malonso recounted.
“Since several of our key players have graduated, I predicted a likely Final Four finish, uncertain of where exactly we would land. Far second? More likely third or fourth place.”
Malonso credits the unexpected championship to Ateneo’s Thai coach Anusorn “Tai” Bundit, whose sidecourt antics have evolved into a popular dance step that has gone viral.
“Coach Tai was a big factor. He taught the team to be happy and stay focused. In my opinion, I think they established a system in their training which helped them cope under the worst situation. They mastered themselves, so rather than focusing on the goal, they focused on improving themselves with every game.”
