Ahead of its Season 2 tournament kick-off in February this year, UNTV Cup basketball league has once again received support from one of the television network’s hosts, Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano.
The Presiding Minister to Members Church of God International (MCGI) has supported the first season of the basketball tournament through sponsorship or donating cash prizes for the winning teams.
MCGI is more popularly known for its religious radio-television show Ang Dating Daan that UNTV airs daily.
The idea of UNTV Cup is to get celebrities, public sector and local government agencies involved in a charity fund raising through a basketball tournament. Its progenitor is Kuya Daniel Razon, the CEO and Chairman of BMPI-UNTV.
This season, ten (10) squads will be participating the league when it opened in February 11, 2014 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Malacañang and Senate teams are two newlyformed teams that will join the new season.
Team LGU (Local Government Units) is now a separate team from season one’s Team Congress. Returning teams are PNP, AFP, MMDA, Philhealth, Judiciary, and DOJ.
Another welcome development in UNTV Cup Season 2 is the opening of public service booth by the participating government agencies. The booths will be opened to serve and respond to concerns ailing the public.
During the first season of the basketball-for-a-cause, seven teams participated and cash prizes of the champion and all runner-ups were donated to a charity of their choice.
Team Judiciary went home as Season 1 champion and donated their P1-million cash prize to the victims of calamities in Central Luzon and war in Southern Philippines.
Team PNP, a runner-up winner, has selected Masonic Charity for Crippled Children to receive their P500,000 prize. Second-runner up was Team AFP, who chose AFP-Educational Benefit Assistance Office to receive P250,000.
Team Philhealth was third runner-up and donated to Cancer Warriors Foundation their winning pot of P150,000.
“Our primary example and inspiration, [and this is for] the one doing goodwill selflessly is the Lord Jesus,” said Bro Eli in his remarks during the opening game of UNTV Cup Season 1.
Bro. Eli said the primary inspiration of the competition is Christ who “sacrificed, worked, not for his own self, but for others.”
(Written by Roy Cruz)