Social projects mark PBA’s 38th anniversary

MANILA, Philippines - To celebrate its 38th founding anniversary, the PBA will launch a scholarship program for eight graduating high school seniors to choose from 20 courses at Informatics College in Diliman as commissioner Chito Salud embarks on a social mission to provide education for the less fortunate.

“We are doing this because in the PBA, we believe that every person has a dream,” said PBA business development director Rhose Montreal. “Our PBA players once dreamed of being in the PBA and most of them paid the price to reach their dreams. ‘Alagang PBA’ aims to help deserving individuals reach their dreams, too, in different fields. And the best way to realize a dream is to learn and be educated.”

The “Alagang PBA” program offers a four-year college scholarship with eight slots available. It’s open to all graduating fourth year high school students. Application letters are to be sent to Salud stating the reason why a student should be considered for the scholarship. Deadline for submission of applications is April 5.

Montreal said the budget for each student is P480,000 for four years. The project is different from the PBA’s initiative of providing scholarships for the children of former players through the league’s Trust Fund. Montreal said “Alagang PBA” is the first scholarship program being offered to the public.

Montreal said the PBA will also hold a one-man exhibit of 30 splash paintings at the Robinsons Magnolia atrium in Quezon City. The paintings will be up for bidding. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is set on April 9 with the PBA Board of Governors, VIPs and players expected to attend. Montreal said the artist’s name is being withheld at the moment to make it a surprise.

Then, there is the fun run at the Frontera Verde Tiendesitas starting 5 a.m. on April 21. It’s the fourth straight year that the PBA is holding a fun run with five distances – two kilometers fitness walk for kids 12 years old and below and senior citizens 60 and above, three kilometers, five kilometers, 10 kilometers and 15 kilometers. The first fun run attracted 1,500 participants. The second drew over 2,000 and the third, 2,800.

“The PBA’s 10 teams will be represented by their players,” said Montreal. “This is the PBA’s once-a-year program to promote physical fitness. Fans can run alongside their favorite players. It’s a bonding opportunity for players and fans. The project is for the whole family with lots of prizes and freebies.” Montreal said proceeds of the fun run will be donated to the Cancer and Hematology Center of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC). The PBA has donated more than P1 million to the PCMC from its first three fun runs.

Montreal said the PBA will give away a single bedroom condominium unit to a lucky fan in a contest whose details are soon to be announced. The unit is in Victoria Station 2 located along ESDA near GMA-7 with a market value of at least P1.3 million. The building is a project of the New San Jose Builders, the PBA’s official sports condominium. Victoria Station 2 is a 26-storey tower on top of a 6-storey commercial center a stone’s throw away from the MRT system.

Montreal said Salud has given his go-signal to set the stage for more off-the-court projects in the future, including a car show and a movie premier night. Basketball-related events in the works for-a-cause include the Blue Vs. Green Dream Game 2 and the PBA select Vs. Gilas Pilipinas exhibition series on July 20-25 with three encounters each in a city in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.