YEAR-END APPRECIATION
By: REYNALDO D. GAMBOA
       Chairman, Philippine Collegiate Champions League

Throughout the year 2009, we received numerous e-mails, letters and calls from readers expressing their views/comments on various issues discussed in this column. Some were in agreement with the views expounded whilst others offered contrary views or brought up other aspects of the issues raised.

To all those readers who spent time to react and express their own views, thank you so much. You gave more meaning to my twice-a-week endeavor to write about matters that affect our daily lives.

In 2009, I was again involved in organizing and managing the search for the best collegiate team in the country. The Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) competition is nationwide in scope with 27 “mother leagues,” e.g., UAAP, NCAA, CESAFI, etc., participating and involving over 212 collegiate teams.

To all the collegiate teams, the representing schools, and the mother league organizers, I wish to thank all for making this year’s staging a resounding success.

A tournament of such magnitude is possible only with sufficient financial backing and support considering the amount involved in moving competing teams from different location. And for this, I would like to express in behalf of the Board of Trustees of PCCL our appreciation for the encouragement, support and assistance extended by Manuel V. Pangilinan, president of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and chairman of PLDT and Smart.

Many thanks also to Gabby Lopez, chairman of ABS-CBN, and Peter Musngi, head of ABS-CBN Sports, for believing in the concept of one national collegiate champion and agreeing to provide the television coverage of the Champions League games.

The other participating sponsors that made the 2009 PCCL games successful are Molten Balls, Coke, PAGCOR Sports, www.gameface.ph, and of course, our main media partner, Philippine Star.