Tolentino plots grassroots program
‘The formation of the team signals a new era for women’s sports in the country’
SENATOR Francis Tolentino (middle) leads the formation of the Cavite TOL Patriots, a squad that will compete in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League next year.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF POC
Senator Francis Tolentino is spearheading the development of the country’s grassroots sports program in a bid to harness future members of the national team.
The brother of Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who recently gained a fresh four-year term as president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, Tolentino launched some key initiatives that aim to help the youth get into sports.
Tolentino, for one, is the prime mover behind the Philippine Reserve Officers’ Training Course (ROTC) Games, a multi-sport event that aims to produce future leaders in sports, military service, and other professions.
“Beyond being a sports event, the aim of the ROTC Games is to develop the skills and talents and cultivate a deeper sense of nationalism among the youth,” said Tolentino, whose highly successful tourney drew the participation of over a thousand reservists and cadets from all over the country.
“I see future leaders appearing from the ranks in the field of sports, military service, and even in other professions. All these things considered; this multi-sport event is truly an enormous success.”
In the local level, he is also backing the formation of the Cavite TOL Patriots, a team that will represent his home province in the inaugural season of the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL).
“The formation of the team signals a new era for women’s sports in the country,” said Tolentino, after welcoming over a hundred female basketball players who tried out for slots in the Patriots lineup last 23 and 24 November in Tagaytay City.
Coach Norman Manguinao led the tryouts, and Coach Angelica Valera of Cavite State University.
John Kallos, an official from the WMPBL, gave the hopefuls a pep talk to encourage them to continue developing their skills in pursuit of their basketball dream.
“With more avenues being opened, it is my hope to advance the skill and competitive level of Filipina basketball players in order to prepare them for potential international opportunities.”
The very first tournament of the WMPBL will kick off in January 2025.