Full circle for Bobong

In 1975, Carlos (Bobong) Velez made a name for himself as a sports promoter when he packed the Araneta Coliseum to the rafters for the first-ever La Salle-Ateneo dream game.

Four years later, he organized another Ateneo-La Salle extravaganza, this time including oldtimers and a two-on-two match pitting Lim Eng Beng and Miguel Bilbao against Joy Cleofas and Francis Arnaiz.

With Vintage Sports as his flagship, Velez went on to produce the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) on TV as the exclusive franchisee in 1982. Velez held the exclusive rights until 2000 when he joined forces with Viva Entertainment to form Viva-Vintage.

Professionalism marked Velez’ tenure as Vintage Sports chairman. He personally made sure that each coverage was the best it could be. Vintage Sports became known as the symbol of excellence in producing sporting events on radio and TV.

Vintage Sports’ credits included overseas coverage of the Asian Games, the National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend and Finals and world championship fights featuring Luisito Espinosa and Manny Pacquiao.

When the economy took a turn for the worse in the new millennium, Velez decided to step back and regroup. He eventually settled whatever obligations Vintage Sports had with the PBA and is now ready to get back on track in the business of sports promotions.

It’s like starting over for Velez. With a clean slate and a plate filling up with interesting possibilities, Velez can feel the juices flowing all over again.

Last year, Velez thought of launching his comeback in a big way. He made a serious bid to land the Athens Olympics TV contract with a syndicate of partners. Velez almost got it on the strength of a solid presentation made before International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing director Michael Payne. But in the end, Payne decided to award the rights to NBN-TV because the government station still owed the IOC $1.2 Million for the Sydney Games and linking up with Velez would’ve jeopardized the chances of settling the debt.

"It wasn’t meant to be," said Velez. "So I thought of something else."

Then dawned the idea of staging another La Salle-Ateneo dream game. What better way to reintroduce Velez to the sports mainstream than through his signature vehicle.

A few weeks ago, Velez hosted a lunch meeting in a Mandaluyong hotel to discuss the project with Ateneo’s Fr. Tito Caluag, Butch Antonio and Vince Araneta, La Salle’s J. J. Atayde and Bong de Ocampo, PBA commissioner Noli Eala and media affairs bureau chief Willy Marcial and former PBA executive director Sonny Barrios.

In the meeting, it was agreed that the dream game would be held on Dec. 8 at the Araneta Coliseum.

VDV, Velez’ new company, would "co-own" the event with the PBA, Ateneo and La Salle and act as project director. Velez suggested an equal four-way sharing of the net proceeds among the involved entities.

"The original proposal was for the PBA, Ateneo and La Salle to share 30 percent each of the net proceeds with 10 percent for VDV," disclosed Velez. "But when the group asked VDV to bankroll the entire project with the PBA, Ateneo and La Salle taking no-risk financial positions, we thought an equal sharing of the net proceeds would be only fair."

The funds that eventually wind up in the PBA’s coffers will be channeled to the national team.

The event will take place after the Southeast Asian Games here and before the PBA resumes its season so the timing is perfect.

Velez has sent a formal letter to the PBA requesting to make available its Ateneo and La Salle players for the event.

Velez said there will be at least two games in the program. No decision has been made on what teams will play.

A popular option is to feature a game between the ladies senior teams or the junior varsities of both schools as the preliminary to a "Best of the Best" duel where only the top Blue Eagles and Green Archers–past and present–will suit up.

Another option is to feature three games. First, a ladies or a juniors varsity contest. Second, a Legends game with an age floor of 40 years old. And third, an All-Star game showcasing the top stars of the current UAAP season and the PBA. This is where the likes of Enrico Villanueva, Don Allado, Rich Alvarez, Mike Cortez, Wesley Gonzales, Ren-Ren Ritualo, Larry Fonacier, Mac-Mac Cardona, L. A. Tenorio and Joseph Yeo fit in.

In that option, for the price of one ticket, a fan gets the chance to savor the hardcourt rivalry of the Taft and Loyola schools thrice over.

Believe it or not, when word got around that Velez was organizing a dream game, his office was deluged by calls from students and alumni reserving tickets. And the event isn’t happening until Dec. 8.

"The La Salle-Ateneo dream game propelled me into sports promotions in 1975," said Velez. "Now, 30 years later, the La Salle-Ateneo dream game will launch my comeback into sports promotions. It’s like coming full-circle."

For Velez, there’s no better formula than stirring the school spirit of his alma maters. That’s right–alma maters with an "s." Velez belongs to a unique breed in that he graduated high school at La Salle and earned his college degree at Ateneo.

No wonder he’s been entrusted to act as project director. It’s a win-win situation for the "dual citizen." Come to think of it, the whole project is a winning situation for VDV, the PBA, La Salle, Ateneo and of course, the fans.