THE TURNOVER of the promised P1-million bonus to Gilas Pilipinas five for its courageous performance in the recent Fiba World Cup in Spain will highlight the opening of the 3rd Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship (PSSBC) Ironcon Builders Cup on Nov. 8 in Manila.
The Nationals tallied just one win in five tightly fought games in the World Clup but the impact of their showing was celebrated by a nation hungry for conquest in basketball’s biggest stage.
The feat prompted Hapee Toothpaste chief Dr. Cecilio Pedro, Ever Bilena-Blackwater owner Dioceldo Sy and Freego’s Eduard Tio to raise P1 million for the Gilas players and coaches.
“It’s just fitting that we will hand the bonus to Gilas in front of our youngsters so that they will be inspired by the passion and fire it dished out during the tournament,” said Pedro.
“We’re very proud of what Gilas did during the World Cup,” said Tio.
“It’s just fitting that we give them a bonus,” added Sy.
Apart from Pedro, Sy and Tio, the PSSBC board also includes Rain or Shine’s Terry Que, Ironcon’s Jimi Lim, MEC Computers’ Leoncio Chua, Dickies Underwear’s Rudy Yu and Jumbo Plastic Linoleum’s Jimmy dela Cruz.