A TALISAY City-based e-sports team is set to travel to Reyjavik, Iceland to compete during the prestigious Philippine Pro Gaming League (PPGL), the largest multi-title esports league in the country.
In a statement he posted on his Facebook page, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony "Samsam" Gullas said he was recently visited by members of Team 6045 Pirates to seek his support for their travel plans to Iceland.
6045 Pirates, whose management is based in Talisay City, is competing to win big in the PPGL's Valorant competition.
Gullas said the team was seeking his help to secure an endorsement from his office so that they can be prioritized in the issuances of passports.
He assured the team that he was willing to help their cause, especially that they are homegrown team from his city.
"I hope that they can bring home the bacon for Talisay City. But even if wala pa nagstart ang competition, proud gihapon ko sa ilang achievements in the field of E-Sports. Para nako, dako gyud natong dungog that young Talisaynons like them are representing our city in E-Sports," Gullas added.
Members of 6045 Pirates are Dominique "N1CO" Tul-id, Michael "2ge" Goopio, Vince "Flash" Medado, Carl Alexander "senyorcarl" C. Carandang and Keith Amirr "FireSaiyajin" Madarang.
They are currently coached by co-team chief executive officer Yuki Urama.
Luther Jim Gumpay, 6045 Pirates' chief executive officer, told SunStar Cebu that they sought Gullas' help in preparation for the possibility that they might qualify for the PPGL.
Gumpay said they will still need to tackle three nationwide qualifiers and two Southeast Asian qualifiers before they could qualify for the PPGL.
Gumpay said they are currently 66th in Valorant's Asia-Pacific rankings and could still improve their ranking as they secure more victories before the PPGL.
In terms of preparation, Gumpay said their team is already 100 percent prepared but they don't want to be complacent.
"We are 100 percent (in preparation), but we can't be complacent since there are also stronger teams in other areas in the country.
We can't be particularly complacent especially that other teams are more advantageous when it comes to hardware or internet connections," Gumpay said in Cebuano.
Even though they were organized on the last quarter of last year, Gumpay said he is confident in the skills of his team members.
Since November last year, the team has secured numerous accolades including being crowned as champions in four competitions such as the Cyber Cage Amateur Valorant Tournament 2021, Top Community Cup January Valorant Finals 2021, Valorant Showdown 2020 and Cyber Cage Amateur Valorant Tournament 2020.
The team is also seeking sponsors to help them in their campaign for the PPGL. For those interested to sponsor, you can email at Luther@6045pirates.com or contact 09338618550. (JKV)