Two big sports events in the Philippines are scheduled to return this March.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will be making its much-anticipated comeback on March 26 after almost two years of delay.
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL), on the other hand, is set to kick off on March 16.
UAAP, the country’s premier collegiate league, announced its Season 84 run last February 28.
“#UAAPSeason84 is set to start on March 26, as announced by the league to the media on Friday. Make sure to follow our official social media platforms to be updated on the latest about our league,” the organization said.
UAAP Season 84 will be hosted by De La Salle University. Its broadcast partners are Smart Communications and Cignal.
Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications president and CEO, in a statement, said that the telco’s GigaPlay app will allow fans to showcase their school pride and enjoy the games amid the still ongoing pandemic.
“While we can’t troop to the venues in full force just yet, we are glad to make watching the upcoming games easier than ever with the GigaPlay app. This is part of our commitment to give our customers what they want and continue to enable them to pursue their passions,” Panlilio said.
On March 1, UAAP announced the following games that comprise this season:
- Men’s 5×5 basketball
- Men’s 3×3 basketball
- Women’s indoor volleyball
- Men’s beach volleyball
- Chess
- Poomsae
- Cheerdance competition
The first game to commence on March 26 is the men’s 5×5 basketball.
The schedule for the rest of the games will be announced soon.
PVL, on the other hand, announced its open conference for this year last February 18.
The volleyball events can be streamed via One Sports, One Sports+, Cignal Play, and Gigaplay.
“The Heart of Volleyball will beat again on March 16. (volleyball and heart emojis) The bravest, the boldest, and the best volleyball players in the country return to the taraflex for the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference!” the post said.
PVL, formerly Shakey’s V-League, is the Philippines’ first-ever women’s professional volleyball league that was institutionalized in November 2020.
It is organized by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc.
For its 2022 edition, here are the following teams that are set to compete in the conference:
- Cherry Tiggo Crossovers
- Choco Mucho Flying Titans
- Black Mamba Army Lady Troopers
- Cignal HD Spikers
- F2 Logistics Cargo Movers
- Creamline Cool Smashers
- Petro Gazz Angels
- PLDT High Speed Hitters
- Balipure Water Defenders
Sports fans couldn’t help but get stoked for the big Philippine sports events that will kick off this month.
“Get ready for March madness as PVL and UAAP return this month,” sports writer Mac Dionisio said.
“Back to active era kase pvl and uaap szn (season) na,” a Twitter user said.
“Ang exciting naman ng March. We have PVL and UAAP. Hooray for Philippine Sports,” another user tweeted.
Some fans are hopeful that they could watch the games live on the venues.
“Hope they would allow at least those who are fully vaccinated to watch the games live,” one user said.
Metro Manila and 38 other areas are placed under Alert Level 1, the most relaxed alert level status until March 15.
Under this alert level, individuals 18 years old and above will be required to present proof of full vaccination before participating in mass gatherings or entry into indoor establishments such as venues for exercise and sports.
