PBA legends to visit Saudi for goodwill games

After more than a decade of wishing by thousands of Filipino expatriates in the Kingdom for the visit of PBA Legends, the dream will finally come true Oct. 24 to Nov. 2 with a series of games in the cities of Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh. The PBA Legends games are to coincide with the Haj holidays, which are expected to fall on Oct. 24-29. According to a press release by the local organizers, the project is supported by Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, president of General Presidency of Youth Welfare. The goodwill games are also aimed at strengthening the ties between the host country and the Philippines. Select local teams from Saudi Arabia will participate in what is being touted as the biggest basketball event organized by Coordinations Est. Company in cooperation with various regional Filipino basketball organizations as follows: the Pilipino Basketball Association (PBA) in Dammam, Overseas Filipino Basketball League (OFBL) in Jeddah, and the Philippine Arabia Basketball Association (PABA) in Riyadh. The PBA Legends Foundation is a happy participant in the program. The program is under the overall leadership of Fahad Ibrahim Al Sekaity and Abdul Aziz Virgilio “Jawo” Dizon, a veteran basketball organizer in the Kingdom who said this event has been 10 years in the making. Abe King, PBA Legends USA Foundation chair and president, and another US-based player Ponky Alolor are to join their counterparts from the Philippines in the 12-man Legends lineup to do a tour of Saudi Arabia. To fly in from the Philippines are Marlou Aquino, EJ Joseph Fiehl, Bonnel Balingit, Rodney Santos, Bong Hawkins, Gherome Ejercito, Gerald Esplana, Vince Hizon, Bal David and Noli Locsin. Also with the delegation is Ruffy Ignacio, PBA Legends USA Foundation secretary-general. The program is guided by the principles of “Bridging people from all walks of life through the medium of basketball” and “One goal, one dream, one spirit, one mission, and one Vision, all for the love of sports.” Unknown to many in the home country Philippines and abroad, but very popular in Saudi Arabia, the Filipino basketball communities in Saudi Arabia are a well-knit group of dedicated and hardworking kababayans who advance the twin cause of basketball and fellowship in that part of the world. In the last 15 years, this united group has been conducting basketball tournaments, whole-year round in various regions in Saudi Arabia, ala PBA in the Philippines. The leaders of these organizations who work with dedication and diligence on various regional tournaments, on top of practicing their respective professions, are as follows: Al Sekaity, Coordinations Est. Company chairman; Dizon, Coordinations Est. Company CEO & PBA commissioner; PABA Commissioner Mohd. Khamis, project manager, western region, Jeddah; Mohd. Ibrahim, executive director Time-out Sports Academy, Jeddah; Boy Teves OFBL chairman, Jeddah; Rocky Gil, OFBL commissioner; Lito dela Cruz, OFBL technical director and Nasser Punponan, PABA regional director in Riyadh. In the near future, the aforementioned organizations plan to provide scholarship grants to needy Filipino students in the Philippines, and to conduct medical-dental missions in coordination with the PBA Legends Foundation. Arab news