UNTV tourney packs arena on opening day

A COLLEAGUE who works as a newscaster and editor for televison network UNTV just couldn’t stop talking about the successful opening of the UNTV Cup Season 5, a yearly basketball competition among local government agencies organized by broadcaster and evangelist Daniel Razon.

This season, the league kicked off with 13 teams, some of which are beefed up by former professionals like Marlou Aquino and the 7-foot EJ Feihl.

PBA legend Kenneth Duremdes mentored the Senate Defenders last season but will join the twin towers of Aquino and Feihl in a new team, the Bureau of Customs Transformers, as playing coach.

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Last Monday during the UNTV Cup opening, there was a much-bigger crowd at Mall of Asia (MoA) Arena, where it was held, than at Smart Araneta Coliseum, where the Batangay Ginebra-Star Hotshots game was held a day earlier.

“You won’t believe how big the crowd was,” said my colleague. “The MoA was packed to the rafters. The queue for tickets was very long.”

He said the overflow paying crowd must have expected Sen. Manny Pacquiao to make an appearance since he was in the roster of the Senate Defenders.

Pacquiao did not know that active PBA cagers are not allowed to play in other leagues.

Fortunately, PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa met him just before he could put on his jersey.

Narvasa gave Pacquiao an impromptu briefing on PBA 101.

However, 1-Pacman party-list Rep. and GlobalPort team owner Mikee Romero, who is the new team manager of the House of Representative (HOR) Solons was allowed to parade with his team.

There are reports that Romero will also play.

The other lawmakers playing in the UNTV Cup are Sen. Sonny Angara and Sen. Joel Villanueva.

Atoy Co of the famed Crispa Redmanizers is the league commissioner with Ed Cordero, who played for Crispa’s fierce rival Toyota, his deputy.

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HOOPVINE:Former Ginebra player Bennett Palad mentors the National Housing Authority team… PNP chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa promised he will not allow the UNTV Cup trophy to escape from his men’s grasp this year. PNP was runner-up in seasons 1, 2 and 4.