CITY OF MALOLOS—More than 1,000 youth from at least 32 colleges and universities in Bulacan will be actively engaging and honing their talents and skills in various sports activities as the province launched its first ever Bulacan Universities and Colleges Athletic Association (BUCAA).
Gov. Daniel Fernando led the launching of BUCAA on Thursday at EDSA Shangri-la Hotel in Mandaluyong City where he announced April 15 as the grand opening of the tournaments to be held at the 5.6 hectare Bulacan Sports Complex in this capital city.
Male and female youth will initially have to compete in basketball and cheerdance for this first season opening. Chess, table tennis, volleyball, badminton and other game and sports categories will be opened in the next succeeding seasons, Fernando added.
BUCAA is under the Sports Development Program of the Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB) which is part of Fernando’s 10-point agenda of leadership.
BUCAA, Fernando said is the kick-off of the PGB’s major sports program for Bulacan youth which is the establishment of Bulacan Sports Academy in Bulacan Sports Complex.
According to the governor, Bulacan, because of its vast fields and mountains, continues to be the home of international and national champions in different sports categories. The collegiate level, however, he said, lacks a regular tournament which could help the country produce more future champions.
“We have excellent students in sports, we have champions who started when they were just young kids. But when they grow up and want to pursue their dreams as they enter the collegiate level, the opportunities are just too limited. Today, with BUCAA, we will start to open wider doors for our young sports enthusiasts and champions especially when we open our very own Bulacan Sports Academy, we will contribute more in producing worldwide champions for our country,” Fernando said.
Benjie Santos, OIC head of the Sports Division of the Bulacan Provincial Youth and Sports Development Office said the grand champion in the basketball category will bring home P400,000; the 1st runner up will receive P200,000; the 2nd runner will receive P150,000.00 and the 3rd runner up will have P100,000.00.
The Cheer Dance Champion will receive P200,000.00; the first runner up will receive P150,000; the 2nd runner up will receive a P100,000.00 prize and the 3rd runner up with P60,000 prize.
Each team, Santos said, will be provided with a P20,000 subsidy by the PGB. He added that there will be a one school, one basketball and one Cheer Dance entry policy.
According to Atty. Nikki Manuel S. Coronel, Fernando’s chief of staff and tournament director, all the succeeding games will be held in the gymnasiums or covered courts of each of the participating colleges and universities.
It is also one way of promoting the colleges and universities, he added. The process will also provide home court advantage that will further help boost the youth capabilities and drum up excitement and thrill in the first season.
The game runs from April-June.
Fernando added that Alejandro Tengco, former vice mayor of the City of Malolos who now chairs the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has already pledged support for the construction of the Sports Academy.
Vice Gov. Alexis Castro, a basketball enthusiast and player who recently championed the PGB basketball tournament said the project was conceptualized under Executive Order No. 11 in accordance to Republic Act 10742, also known as the “Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015” where it outlines nine key areas of youth involvement, which serves as the foundation for developing the Local Youth Development Plan that will be instrumental in designing programs aimed at enhancing the well-being of the youth in Bulacan.
