President's Cup gets IATF clearance

 

The INSPIRE Academy where Chooks 3x3 basketball will be played.

The Philippines will be witness to competitive 3x3 basketball this month, as the Inter-Agency Task Force has granted a provisionary license to Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3.

The license allows the league to finally proceed with the President's Cup powered by TM at the INSPIRE Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.

"We are grateful for the Inter-Agency Task Force composed of the Games and Amusements Board, Department of Health, and Philippine Sports Commission for giving us the clearance to hold our bubble," expressed league owner Ronald Mascariñas. "We would also like to thank Senator Bong Go for helping endorse our request to return to action."

He adds, "All of us are excited to get the ball rolling for our season."

With the license now secured for the competition, which covers from October 16-31, the league now proceeds with the next steps towards the resumption of competition.

Teams will now wrap up their practices at the UP Epsilon Chi Center this week, with the accompanying RT-PCR testing.

They would then go into pre-bubble home quarantine from October 8-13, then go through another round of RT-PCR testing on October 14-15 before entering the bubble inside the INSPIRE Academy campus in Calamba.

Practices will start on October 16-18, followed by a preseason tournament on the 19th.

The President's Cup will have four legs: October 21, 23, 25, and 27, with the Grand Finals to take place on the 30th.

The bubble will then be emptied out on October 31, followed by a 14-day home quarantine.

The presence of sports, Mascariñas believes, will help bring joy back to Filipino fans.

"Everyone is affected by this pandemic and in our small way, we aim to give hope through the sport of 3x3 basketball," he expressed.

The President's Cup powered by TM will feature twelve teams, including national team pool members Joshua Munzon, Alvin Pasaol, Troy Rike, and Leonard Santillan, who comprise Zamboanga City-Chooks. Their participation in the tourney is to aid them in their preparations for the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year, where a slot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is at stake.

Serving as their competition in the tournament are: Butuan City-Uling Roasters, Bacolod-Masters Sardines, Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards, Palayan City Capitals, Zamboanga Peninsula Valientes-MLV, Porac Big Boss Cement MSC, Bicol 3x3 Pro, Pasig-Sta. Lucia Realtors, Sarangani Marlins, Pagadian City Rocky Sports, and Petra Cement.