CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS
Long before tweets, live streaming, and made-for-social media hype videos, basketball aspirants had to fight tooth and nail for visibility.
Robert L. Uy’s Chairmans Cup was one of the few, consistent avenues that afforded prospects a way around limitations—an initiative that was put together to honor his late father Juanito, Toyota Iloilo’s former chair, back in 2007, and bolster the local grassroots scene.
“To give back to the community and help [bolster] the country’s basketball program,” Robert once said of the event, which has since become a fixture in Western Visayas in collaboration with Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
From humble courts to packed provincial arenas, the Cup has quietly churned out names that would eventually hit national television screens.
There’s JP Calvo who played for the elite Letran program in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There’s Kib Montalbo who suited up and won titles for La Salle in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, and later with TNT in the Philippine Basketball Association. And then there’s SJ Belangel who suited Ateneo and won a pair of crowns in the UAAP before also serving the Gilas Pilipinas program like Montalbo. He now plays in a pro club in South Korea.
Nowadays, nearly two decades later, Uy’s son Robin is carrying the torch.
A former La Salle Green Archer who shared the floor with the likes of eventual pros LA Revilla and Norbert Torres, Robin now serves as Region IV-B Director for the SBP while also calling the shots for Toyota Puerto Princesa and Aklan as executive vice president.
“I myself didn’t have much opportunities before,” Robin says. “There was no social media back then, so it was hard for people to really unearth talents from the province. So we wanted [the Cup] to continue being an avenue—for both players and coaches—that people out here are good.”
As the tournament, traditionally sponsored by Toyota, continues to be just that, the younger Uy hopes for the showcase to get even bigger.
This year’s edition now features legs across five provinces: Capiz (March 29), Iloilo (April 6), Aklan (April 9), Antique (April 26), and Guimaras (April 27).
Uy said that Lian Kent Basa, a 6-foot-2 standout from Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, is shaping up as one of the big draws this year.
The leadup is geared towards a National Finals set sometime in June and Uy is hoping that, one day, it could become as big as the National Basketball Training Center, which is one of the biggest amateur platforms featuring both homegrown and Filipino-foreign prospects.
But the younger Uy knows there’s plenty of work to be done. And he hopes to start strong by ensuring the leadup and Finalé this June is a resounding success.
Eventually, he is looking to turn his sights on Baguio and Marinduque, where the Cup hopes to expand its reach.
“Right now, we’re self-sustaining. But we want to continue giving a platform for provincial players,” said Uy.
“We have the Palarong Pambansa. The NBTC in Manila. Now, here’s the Chairman’s Cup.”
