BAVI rewards Pasig, 1Bataan with PHP 2M incentives

1Bataan Risers from last week's SuperQuest

In a surprise announcement last Friday, Bounty Agro-Ventures Incorporated head honcho and Chooks Pilipinas 3x3 league owner Ronald Mascarinas disclosed that he is gifting the eight players comprising the Pasig Grindhouse and 1Bataan Risers a total of PHP 2M.

The reward is based on the achievements both teams made during the Chooks-to-Go 3x3 Asia Pacific Super Quest, with the Kings finishing in third place and the Risers as runners-up, which is aside from the $7,000 and $15,000 they each earned in the tournament.

According to Mascariñas, it is "As a gesture of gratitude to the players, we are giving the players of both teams a little gift that is a little over two-million pesos." He adds, "Thank you for serving your country."

According to league officials, the Risers (composed of Alvin Pasaol, Leonard Santillan, and Karl Dehesa, and Travis Franklin) will get a larger share of the incentives compared to the Kings (Joshua Munzon, Taylor Statham, Troy Rike, Nikola Pavlovic, and non-playing member Dylan Ababou) due to their better finish.

When asked about this, here are a few thoughts from the players:

Munzon: "We were surprised. None of us expected this. I thought we were just going to have lunch here."

Statham: "Extremely grateful to Boss Ronald and Chooks-to-Go. Definitely, we will use this to motivate us to represent the country better in Doha."

Pasaol: "Malaking bagay ito sa amin kasi napapakita namin na hindi lang sa five-on-five ang future ng basketball player."

Dehesa: "I mean, very grateful to have this opportunity after playing in the PBA for four years. I stepped out of my comfort zone now and it's paying off."

Both teams, rebranded for the upcoming FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters in Doha on April 18-19, as Pasig Chooks and Balanga Chooks, now have their sights set on shocking the world once again.