Young, aspiring cagers
from Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo, Dumaguete, and Davao shone from among 50 hopefuls after dazzling the
judges during the Alaxan FR Galing Mo Camp held at the Unilab gymnasium
in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.
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| Bottom L-R: Rio Ballentes (Iloilo), Tyke Bano (Iloilo), Gabriel Dagangon (Davao), Dan Audris Lagbas (CDO), Carl Soreno (Dumaguete), Rhys Jefferson Flores (MVP) (CDO), Rhodelle Nagac (CDO), Miguel Plata (Davao), Michael Kent Salado (CDO), and Josuel Macarine (Dumaguete) bested 40 other representatives in the three-day basketball camp through their dazzling display of heart and athleticism. |
Hard work paid off for the
group, who each won a P100,000 infrastructure project for their respective
barangays, on top of a P20,000 cash incentive (P25,000 for MVP Flores). Their
stellar performance got the nod of the camp directors, led by no less than
basketball legends Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codiñera, Benjie Paras, Jojo
Lastimosa, Johnny Abarrientos, and Ronnie Magsanoc.
A tradition of hard work and dedication
 |
| Alaxan FR - Courts of Inspiration Building in Tarlac |
Last year, the same
basketball legends inaugurated the Courts
of Inspiration, which are volunteer-built basketball courts made by the
local volunteers from the partner villages in Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete,
Tacloban, and Cebu for the Visayas, and Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Butuan, Davao,
and Saranggani for Mindanao. Their aim was to inspire communities to achieve
greatness through hard work, after building a basketball court entirely on
their own. The legends themselves even left handprints on special concrete
markers within the structure, reminding people of what hard work and dedication
can bring to a community that works together for a noble cause.
The same hoop icons
returned to the partner communities early this year to continue the
advocacy—not to build more sports venues, but to see how hard the youth have
worked to improve their basketball skills on the Courts of Inspiration. After conducting basketball clinics, the
legends handpicked the best players, who then flew to Manila to represent their
communities in the national leg of the Alaxan
FR Galing Mo Camp.
The aim, this time, was to
reward those who trained hard in the Courts of Inspiration to perfect their
basketball skills.
Giving back to the community
After winning the tight
competition, the winners are now set to return the favor to the communities
that hand-built their hometown basketball courts.
“My friends and I plan
to help promote the game of basketball further by improving the basketball
courts back in our province,” said
MVP Rhys Jefferson Flores, who bared his plan to add roofing and proper
lighting to existing playing venues.
“What I learned from
this experience is something that I will remember from this day forward: always
give your 100% not just to improve your character but, more importantly, to
help others make their lives better.”
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