Meralco tries to provide beacon of hope

MANILA—The Meralco B-Boys hope to light up not just the PBA scoreboard but also the lives of promising basketball players.   Aside from building a powerhouse squad led by superstar Mark Cardona, the B-Boys got another good thing rolling off court with their sports advocacy program.

“It’s not just about excellence in basketball,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio. “It’s really about inspiring people; that eventually basketball could be their and their families’ ticket out of poverty.”

And for high school standouts like Baser Amer of the San Beda Red Cubs and Kim Rico Cinco of the University of the Philippines Junior Maroons, basketball indeed makes them more hopeful.

  Amer and Cinco, named as Meralco’s basketball scholars, received P50,000 each as financial assistance during the recent team launch at the Meralco Theatre grounds.   The two 17-year-olds come from humble beginnings with Amer hoping to give his family in Davao City a better life and Cinco also wishing for the same after growing up under the care of his grandmother.   “This is part of  our president and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan’s advocacy to help spur the development of the youth through sports,” Meralco’s PBA team governor Ramon Segismundo said during the launch also attended by Meralco, PLDT and Smart executives.   But more than just  helping young and talented athletes, the Bolts also extended their support to Caritas Manila, the charitable institution helping the marginalized sector.   In the same launch, Meralco donated  P100,000 aside from pledging portions of the proceeds from the tickets purchased in the Bolts’ games.   So as the team debuts in the PBA today, the Bolts not only aim to relive the intensity and glory brought by the old Meralco Reddy Kilowatts cagers led by basketball legends Robert Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz and Big Boy Reynoso.   The Bolts also hope to bring inspiration on and off court.