Titay wages war against more establish teams in Gov. Ann K. Hofer basketball tournament

COURTESY Call. Governor Dr. Ann Kintanar Hofer (seated middle) poses with the Titay-Coach K Basketball team during the courtesy call on Feb. 14, 2023. Titay CKB is one of the five teams that will compete in the 1st Gov. Ann K. Hofer Open Invitational Basketball Tournament. Also present in the affair were Vice Governor Rey Andre C. Olegario (3^rd from right second row), PB Member Richard Olegario, (extreme right), Titay team owner/manager & Titay Municipal councillor Junie Montejo (2^nd from right) & team coach Michael Cenabre (4^th from right, second row). (Photos by Rommel C. Manlosa)

IPIL, Zamboanga-Sibugay – The teams has arrived, and the actions will begin tonight at the P1.4Million prize funded Araw ng Sibugay 1^st Governor Dr. Ann Kintanar Hofer Open Invitational Basketball Tournament begins tonight at the Provincial Capitol Gym here.

First to get a shot of the P500,000 champion’s prize is the diverse Titay Coach K Basketball Team against a solid Zamboanga Sardines, a Division champion of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) at 6:30 PM (Feb. 15, Philippine Standard Time).

Gov. Hofer announced that aside from the champions’ prize, the second placer will go home with P400,000, and P300,00 and P200,000 will be given to the third and fourth placers.

On Tuesday, Titay CKB, accompanied by its team owner & manager Junie Montejo, paid the host a courtesy visit at the Provincial Capitol, Tuesday afternoon.

“I welcome you all, and I would like to thank you for visiting Zamboanga Sibugay. Only a handful of people from Manila, especially foreigners, would come and visit our province because of the advisory from their government. When I was (still) a congressman heard “bad” impressions from people outside of Zamboanga Sibugay. That really hurt us badly, because we have very beautiful beaches, powdery white sands, very friendly people and most of all we have a lot to offer to tourists. So, I wanted to change that. And you are the first to accept that offer,” Gov. Hofer said as she welcomed the entire team.

LADY Governor. Gov. Ann Kintanar Hofer will play host to five basketball teams who will compete in the 1st Gov. Ann K. Hofer Open Invitational Basketball Tournament from Feb. 15-19 in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

The lady governor who succeeded her father, George Hofer, who was elected first governor of Zamboanga Sibugay, then explained the tedious process of building a new province after former President Joseph Estrada signed the Republic Act 8973 into a law on Nov. 7, 2000. The people of the 44 towns of Zamboanga del Sur then ratified the law three months later that officially created the third province in Zamboanga Peninsula. Gov. Ann also gave insights of what Zamboanga Sibugay could offer to its visitors.

GOV. Ann K. Hofer explained to Titay Municipal Councillor Jonnie Montejo her plans on how to make Zamboanga Sibugay more fruitful during her term as governor of the province.

Titay, one of the 16 towns that made up Zamboanga Sibugay, will parade a combination of youth and experience. Coach Cenabre will lean on the heroics of former PBA player Eliud Poligrates who will be the quarterback of the team.

The middle will have the former USC Warriors center Sommy Managor and will be played alternately by former UV Green Lancer Michael Macion and Ik Akpuro. Former UP Maroon and USC Warriors forward CJ Catapusan, former CEC Dragons forward Mark Olayon, former CIT-U Wildcats top scorer Joshua De la Cerna, former ACT Cyber Tigers slotman Dondon Nuñez, former Diliman College’s Aldrin Ligon, Fil-British NBL swingman Matthew Parker and former USJ-R forward Fletcher Galvez, will rotate as wingman and power forwards spots.

Helping Poligrates setting up plays for Titay is St. Claire College of Parañaque playmaker Galman Macaraig.

COACH Michael Cenabre explains to the players the direction he wanted the team to play in both offense and defense. In the team practice on Tuesday, he emphasized the team’s need to quickly adopt to the opponent’s game.

“We are a combination of youth and experience. I have conveyed to them what are my priorities and what the direction I would like them to play in both defense and offense. And we all have a common interest that is to win the championship,” Cenabre stressed.

Aside from the Zamboanga Sardines, the competition will also feature the newly crowned NCAA champions Letran Knights, VisMin Cup champions Basilan BRT and Alicia KSB Glass. Rommel C. Manlosa