Vergara graces BBEAL’s silver season opening

CORDILLERA’S largest gathering of athletes from the different colleges and universities renew their rivalry as the 25th season of the Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League formally opens Saturday at the CCDC Gym.

With a theme “Respect, Friendship and Excellence through sports,” Baguio City Rep. Bernardo Vergara will be the guest of honor and speaker during the opening rights in the nine-school conclave, which will see ten sports discipline to be played in the first semester.

“We are all ready and the opening rites will just be a simple get together for the schools with three schools performing,” said athletic coordinator Denver Lee Sagyaman of host Pines City Colleges.

BBEAL was organized in 1986 with just seven member schools and has grown to nine member schools from Baguio City and Benguet, namely Baguio Central University Eagles (BCU), Benguet State University Wildcats (BSU), and Cordillera Career Development College Admirals (CCDC).

Also in the fold is host Pines City Colleges Warriors (PCC), Philippine Military Academy Cavaliers (PMA), Saint Louis University Navigators, University of Baguio Cardinals, University of the Cordilleras Jaguars, and University of the Philippines-Baguio Maroons (UP).

Performances by the PCC Bibak, SLU Dance Squad and the UC Dance Group will be among the main feature of the opening program, which formally starts at 8:00 in the morning.

Sports disciplines to be played in the first part of the competition are archery, badminton, chess, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, tae kwon do and arnis.

Also making its way in the first part of the competition is the centerpiece tournament of BBEAL, the men's and women's basketball and the crowd favorite men's and women's volleyball.

“So far konti lang yung naging problem natin sa process ng screening ng mga players and we hope to have a smooth season,” added Sagyaman.

Games in basketball and volleyball formally opens after the opening program with the UB Cardinals defending the men’s crown while the UC Lady Jaguars eyes another repeat in the distaff side.

The men’s volleyball will be defended by the SLU Navigators, while the UC Lady Jaguars seeks their 7th title in seven years. (Roderick Osis)

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on August 12, 2011.