AN INTER-BARANGAY Basketball Tournament aimed to discover grassroots talents reeled off Sunday, August 3, 2025, with exhibition games between the "Blue" and "Red" teams.
The basketball tournament is the brainchild of District 2 Councilor Rolando Navarro Jr., better known as "Junie," the owner of the Zamboanga Valientes Team that saw action in international competitions.
The sports competition is dubbed as "Junie Navarro Valientes Inter-Barangay Tournament. It is set to culminate in October, in time for the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, the revered patroness of Zamboanga City.
"This is a campaign promise and not only that, our goal is to discover grassroots talents who can bring honor to the city in terms of sports, particularly basketball," Navarro said in an interview.
Navarro said there are 69 participating teams from villages, including island barangays, in the first and second congressional districts.
All of the participating teams have received free basketball uniforms. They were also given free entrance registration fee.
Navarro said the tournament is also part of the sports tourism campaign of Zamboanga City to keep the youth away from illegal activities, such as illegal drugs.
Meanwhile, the Red Team or the Mayor Khymer Olaso Team won by four points by garnering total score of 133 as against 129 of the Blue Team or the "Joey Papaya" team, named after former District 1 Councilor Jerome Santos.
Olaso, a seafarer turned politician, admitted gasping during the exhibition game, although he scored the highest points at 53.
"I did not play basketball for almost 20 years. It is only the past three days I started playing again," said Olaso, who was named as the best player of the exhibition game.
Navarro, who played for the Blue Team, said the exhibition game demonstrates the politicians in Zamboanga City remain friends after elections.
The member of the two teams composed of incumbent and former City Councilors as well as their supporters, village officials, local basketball enthusiast, and former members of the Zamboanga Valientes Team. (SunStar Zamboanga)