NU, CCP nat’l cheerleading faves

MANILA, Philippines—National University (NU) and Central Colleges of the Philippines (CCP ) are the top favorites in the  10th National Cheerleading Championship (NCC) at SM Mall of Asia Arena this weekend.

NU, the reigning UAAP back-to-back winner, amassed 298.5 points to top the 10-team NCR qualifier.

Defending national champion CCP was second with 296 while Perpetual Help was third with 289.5.

“We are satisfied with our performance,” said NU head coach Ghicka Bernabe. “However, there’s still room for improvement so we will be working doubly hard to eliminate mistakes in time for the Nationals.”

“We’ll definitely be ready for the Nationals. As far as we’re concerned, we’re going for a repeat,” said CCP head coach Arnold Villanueva.

In the last five years, the Philippines has become a power to reckon with in international cheerleading competitions. Team PH placed third in its category in the World Cheer Championships last year.  The past two years also  saw the country send cheer squads to the Southeast Asian Cheerleading Championships.

“In terms of athletic ability, our cheerleaders are at par with anyone in the world,” said Itos Valdes, who runs the NCC.