BBEAL welcomes its 10th member

FROM THE original nine school member of the Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League, the 26 year old collegiate tournament is set to welcome its 10th member when it unfolds another colorful season August 25.

Host University of Baguio’s athletic director Eduardo Laureano confirmed the participation of Baguio College of Technology, the tenth member of the tertiary conclave similar to UAAP and NCAA in Metro Manila.

“BCT’s inclusion is already approved in principle, and the members of the BBEAL board will just have to confirm it,” said Laureano.

BCT has been applying as the tenth member of the BBEAL since 2009 but their membership was shelved three times.

Laureano added the board will convene this Friday and will also discuss several matters, aside from BCT’s formal entry in the BBEAL.

Also to be discussed during the meeting will be the commissionership of the basketball tournament, which is the premiere tournament of the league.

Ten sports disciplines, including the premiere basketball tournament, get underway in the first phase of the tournament with eight other sports events to be staged in the second semester of the season.

Volleyball, archery, badminton, chess, sepak takraw, swimming, table tennis, tae kwon do and arnis will be played in the first part of the 26th season.

Closing out the 26th season, which will be played from January until the first week of February are athletics, baseball, boxing, football, judo, lawn tennis, softball, and wushu.

BBEAL was organized in 1986 with just 7 member schools but has increased to nine member schools from Baguio City and Benguet before BCT came into picture.

The member schools are Baguio Central University Eagles (BCU), Benguet State University Wildcats (BSU), Cordillera Career Development College Admirals (CCDC), and Philippine Military Academy Cavaliers (PMA), Pines City Colleges Warriors (PCC), Saint Louis University Navigators, UB Cardinals, University of the Cordilleras Jaguars, and University of the Philippines-Baguio Maroons (UP). (Roderick Osis)