ANGELES CITY —- The first Angeles City Pampang Public Market Meat Vendors Association Basketball Tournament and Sports Fest kicked off at Barangay Cutcut Peoples Gym on Sunday.

The tournament, officially launched by Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno, aims to promote camaraderie among meat vendors here.

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Nepomuceno said the event was participated in by meat vendors and members of the Hog Dealers Association of Angeles City.

“This is part of the continuing effort of the city government to strengthen and federalize various sectors of the city. Meat vendors are recognized as among the important sectors of the community here and we hope to foster better relationship and areas of cooperation with them,” Nepomuceno said during the opening ceremonies.

Some 11 teams, namely: Butoy and Tess, D’ Mamangan, Hajie, Jinjer, Mon and Jheng, Ney and Net, Carla, Ghee and Rica, Jerzel, Margie and Myron, all named after popular meat merchant stalls here, would be competing against one another in the week-long competition.

Nepomuceno said the City Government is all-out in supporting the event and will extend necessary support for future endeavors of the market and meat sectors here. The mayor said that a strong merchant sector is essential in creating a more pro-active business environment in the city.

Hog Dealers Association president Gerald Manaloto, for his part, lauded Nepomuceno for his continuing support for meat vendors, saying that the sports tournament highlights the dedication of the city government in helping the “meat sector.”