ALL roads lead to the newly renovated Cebu Coliseum today, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, when the Meralco Bolts collide against the debuting Macau Black Bears in the East Asia Super League (EASL) at 6 p.m.
Meralco, currently third in the four-team Group B, holds a 1–2 record. Taoyuan Paulan leads the group with a 2–1 slate, followed by the Ryukyu Golden Kings at 1–1.
Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo said they need to secure consecutive wins after suffering two straight losses abroad in order for them to make it to next round. The Bolts bounced back on Nov. 8 when they defeated Group B leader Taoyuan Paulan, 85–78.
“This is a do-or-die for us. We have to win every game now to have an opportunity to get to the next round. Our first two games were out of the country, so we were at a disadvantage, and we also had the PBA. Now we are able to focus on the EASL,” Trillo said during an interview at their practice at the Cebu Coliseum on Friday.
“We’ll see — this is also a tough team, the Macau Black Bears. We’ll find out their official lineup later,” Trillo continued. “Right now, Taoyuan Paulan is No. 1, Ryukyu Golden Kings is 1–1, but if we can’t get into the top 2, quotient becomes very important, so we can’t lose any more games. We need to win this one.”
Trillo, who once served as an assistant coach for the Cebu Gems in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), called on the Cebuanos to watch the game and show the same strong support they gave to the Gems for the Bolts, who are representing the Philippines in the Super League.
Trillo remains optimistic despite the absence of Justine Brownlee, expressing confidence in the combination of their imports: Vahedi Mohammadsina, the Iranian top point guard in FIBA Asia, and Israel Romero of Puerto Rico, who will play alongside Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and naturalized player Ange Kouame.
Brownlee is already in the Philippines but will not be able to play for the Meralco Bolts against Macau.
EASL returns for charity
Meanwhile, EASL senior vice president and head of operations Dominic Tang expressed gratitude to the Cebu City Government, Cebu Landmasters, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Region 7 for their quick action in bringing the Meralco Bolts–Macau Black Bears game to Cebu.
In a press conference at Citadines Hotel on Juana Osmeña Street on Friday, Tang said he is happy to see the EASL return to Cebu, this time with a greater and more meaningful purpose.
Aside from EASL staff, also present in the press conference were Cebu City officials, Meralco team manager Paolo Trillo, and members of the media.
The EASL was first introduced to Cebuano basketball fans in 2024 when the city hosted the league’s inaugural Final Four, won by the Chiba Jets of Japan’s B.League. Now, Cebu has its own home team to cheer for - the Meralco Bolts - against the season-debuting Macau Black Bears.
Tang also explained that the game is not only important for both teams, but its purpose is also to raise funds for Cebuanos affected by the recent earthquakes and typhoons in Cebu.
All proceeds from the game will be donated to affected communities through the Cebu City Government and the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC).
“It was a very quick decision after we saw what happened in Cebu over the last couple of months with the earthquake and the typhoons. We wanted to do something to give back to Cebu and to the Philippines,” Tang said during the press conference.
Aside from EASL staff, also present in the press conference were Cebu City Councilor Jose Abellanosa, CCSC Chairman Dr. Rhoel Dejaño, Meralco team manager Paolo Trillo, and members of the media.
Tang also praised Cebu’s basketball community for their support in organizing the game on short notice. / JBM