MANILA – Western Visayas will be well represented in the 2022 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup. Seventeen players who trace their roots to the region will be part of the teams.
Based on the partial and official lineup released by the league, Negros Occidental has the most players from Region 6 with nine, mostly from Bacolod City, followed by Iloilo with five, Aklan with two and Antique with one.
Meralco Bolts has the most number of Region 6 players with five in Bacolod City natives Reynel Hugnatan and Siverino Baclao, Pontevedra native Raymar Jose, Ilonggo Antonio Jose Caram and Antiqueno Rey Mark Belo.
NLEX Road Warriors, meanwhile, has four Western Visayas-based players in Bago City native Raul Soyud, Bacolod City’s Justin Chua, Manapla, Negros Occidental native Paul Varilla and Aklanon Kris Rosales.
Terrafirma Dyip, on the other hand, has two players from the region in Silay City, Negros Occidental native John Paul Calvo and Andreas Cahilig, who has roots from Aklan.
San Miguel Beermen, for its part, also has two players who traced their roots from Western Visayas in Jericho Cruz and Paul Zamar, who were both from Iloilo City.
Other WV-based players in the upcoming PBA conference were TNT Tropang Giga’s Kib Montalbo (Bacolod City), Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters’ Billy Ray Robles (Estancia, Iloilo), NorthPort Batang Pier’s Juan Paolo Taha (San Miguel, Iloilo) and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings’ Jeffrei Chan (Bacolod City).
There were some notable Region 6-based players who were not rostered in Negrenses James Yap and Joe Devance and Ilonggos Kiefer Ravena and Clint Doliguez.
Also competing in the tournament kicking off this Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum were Converge FiberXers, Blackwater Bossing, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Magnolia Chicken Timpladoa Hotshots.
Opening day schedule features the Painters and the FiberXers at 4:30 p.m., followed by the 2021 PBA Philippine Cup finals rematch between Tropang Giga and Hotshots./PN
