PNP cagers win Oro media tilt

PARADING what appears like an all-star cast, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Press Corp of Michael "MIB" Bustamante finally upended the Cagayan de Oro Press Club's (COPC) hoop reign in the annual Press Freedom Week celebration.

In fact, the Sr. Pedro-backed COPC dribblers of Father Elmer Abacahin never got the chance to face the unbeaten PNP in the finals as they got ambushed by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) in Friday morning's culmination of the basketball event at Barangay 24's covered court.

"Peldi gyod mi adto nga dula dili na kadto madala og bendisyon," jokingly said Abacahin of his ragtag team which got stunned by NUJP's brilliancy when it tapped the services of Sports At Balita's Damian Nacalaban and Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro's Rojie Daayata as last-minute enforcers.

"Lisod kon kami lang duha ni Ariel (Hinampas) sa opensa mao nga akong gitawagan si Damian unya gidala sab nako si Rojie," said NUJP's acting team manager Loui Maliza who was grinning from ear-to-ear.

With ABS-CBN's Wislly Daculiat fronting the PNP's heavy frontline, the undermanned Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) could only watch in bleak of another massacre in progress as MIB's charges quickly built a double-digit lead that even padded up to the final half.

"Dili gyod balanse ang field kay lamang kaayo sa tapad ang PNP. Mas maayo sunod by outlet na ang labanan para equal ang chance sa pagdaug," one player of the runner-up KBP, said. (LLS)