Coach Altamirano, Mr. Uy Grace Abanse Negrense-NBTC Basketball League Opening

National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Program Director Coach Frederick “Eric” Altamirano and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Regional Director Robert Uy graced the opening program of the Abanse Negrense–NBTC Basketball League (Central Negros Local Qualifier) at the Montalbo Court in Bacolod City on January 13, 2024 (Saturday).

The launching of the Central Negros Local Qualifier came a week after the opening of the North Negros and South Negros clusters last weekend.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose V. Lacson opened the tournament with a welcome address, reminding the athletes to practice fair play.

Gov. Bong Lacson stressed the provincial government’s goal to produce more outstanding student-athletes by telling the players to prioritize their studies before mainly focusing on sports participation.

Uy also gave a short message on behalf of the SBP. He explained the SBP has been keen in promoting grassroots sports development programs in the recent years and added that he remains hopeful that the new SBP leadership will do just the same.

Coach Altamirano also delivered a brief speech by expressing his gratitude to Gov. Bong Lacson and Anthony Carlo Agustin, the province’s Executive Assistant for Sports, for the invitation. Although he had been invited to various opening and closing ceremonies of NBTC local leagues all over the Philippines, Altamirano said he never thought twice in accepting Agustin’s invitation because the Province of Negros Occidental has been a longtime partner of NBTC in promoting grassroots sports programs.

Altamirano also emphasized the primary vision of NBTC, which is “To Develop Skills, Builds Character, and Raise Leaders.” During his speech, he reminded the participating players to “play hard, play smart, and have fun” but stressed that playing hard doesn’t mean getting physical.

During the event, Gov. Lacson awarded certificates of appreciation and giveaways to Altamirano and Uy.

The sports-minded governor also took the lead in the declaration of the official opening of the Central Negros Cluster tournament and the ceremonial toss along with Altamirano, Uy, and Agustin, who spearheaded the planning, organization, and management of the tournament with the Provincial Sports Office team.

STI-WNU/NZANE was the first victor with an 18-point lead against LCC-Bacolod with a final score of 78 – 60. Davies Paint/El Tzino also took the lead against RGC Stingers with a score of 67 – 59 by the end of the fourth quarter.

Bacolod Tay Tung High School defeated BEBE 2025 after taking a 26-point lead with a score of 63 – 37. Red Owl (Prestige034Focal) crushed the Spartans in an intense game where they scored 62 points against their opponent’s 46 points.

Meanwhile, 10 teams including La Consolacion College, Red Owl (Prestige034 Focal), STI West Negros University (STI-WNU/NZANE), Spartans, Bacolod Tay Tung High School (BTTHS), Bata Lions, Davies Paint/El Tzino, RGC Stingers, BEBE 2025, and 10 participated in the Central Negros Local Qualifier. Colegio de Sta. Ana – Victorias (CSA-V) was originally part of the roster of participating teams. Unfortunately, they withdrew their participation on Friday afternoon, a day before the official opening of the Central Negros league.

Based on CSA-V’s statement sent to the Provincial Sports Office, the school’s management “currently prohibited our participation for specific reasons.” The letter was sent by CSA-V Sports Director Mr. Romulo Goyon.

For this NBTC-collaborated league, the champion team from each cluster – North Negros, Central Negros, and South Negros – will vie for the Regional Championship title on February 15 – 18 in Cebu City. The winner will then proceed to the National Finals dubbed as “Madness in MOA” on March 18 – 24, 2024 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena where 32 teams composed of 16 Local Qualifier Champions, 10 Global Teams, 4 UAAP/NCAA Teams, and 2 Wildcard Teams are set to compete for the national championship.

This ABANSE NEGRENSE – NBTC Basketball League is part of Gov. Lacson’s ABANSE NEGRENSE Sports Programs, which are primarily focusing in promoting grassroots sports development among the Negrense youth.* (Provincial Sports Office)