PUBLIC servants from the top echelon of government will duel on the hard-court as the UNTV Cup Executive Face Off opens on Sunday at the Pasig Sports Center.
The UNTV Cup preseason series opening will start with a parade of players and a drawing pf lots to be presided by UNTV CEO Kuya Daniel Razon at 2 p.m., determining who will play on the scheduled triple-header on Sunday.
Executives aged 40 and above from six participating government agencies will play in a single-round-robin format of the pocket basketball tournament. These are the PNP Responders, DOJ Justice Boosters, AFP Cavaliers, Senate Sentinels, BOC Transformers and the Judiciary Magis.
Top Executives like Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa, Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, Department of Justice Undersecratary Erickson Balmes and Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa (Judiciary) will banner their respective teams on the preseason tourney’s maiden edition.
Meanwhile, the Senate squad will feature eight incumbent senators on
their lineup. They are Sen. Sonny Angara, Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Sen. Bam Aquino, Sen. Ralph Recto, Sen. JV Ejercito, Sen. Win Gatchalian, and boxing champion and professional basketball player Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
The UNTV Cup Executive Face Off tournament elimination round will run every Sunday from May 21 to June 18. After the elimination stage, the top four teams will meet on June 25 for the playoffs, with the top two teams enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage.
The playoff winners will then clash for the championship on July at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, with a P1 million grant up for grabs to be given to the winning team’s chosen beneficiary.
Razon, the man behind the UNTV Cup, sees the Executive Face Off as a sign of continuous growth and improvement of the league. “From the start this league has been upgrading, so we cannot expect for less. With God’s help, the level of hard court battles in UNTV Cup really became higher and higher.”
The opening ceremony and triple header games of the UNTV Cup Executive Face Off will be televised live on UNTV News and Rescue channel with livestreaming on UNTVweb.com.