CESAFI games to be shown on Aksyon TV this season

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The basketball competition of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc (CESAFI) will been seen on a wider national scale this season.

This after VIVA Sports, which will still produce the national coverage of the CESAFI basketball games, solidified a partnership with Smart Communications as their co-presenter of the CESAFI 2016 season.

Instead of the games being aired on the IBC Network’s channel 13 like last year, fans can catch the CESAFI basketball games on the Aksyon TV channel, which is owned by TV5 Network Inc and is available to Cignal TV and Sky Cable subscribers.

Vincent del Rosario, VIVA president and COO, in a statement emailed said that his father, Vic del Rosario, always believed in the “tremendous potential” of those in Southern Philippines not only in business and leadership qualities, but also in sports.

“Last year Viva Sports invested in CESAFI because we saw the potential of the fiercely competitive basketball league that has produced many of the superstars of our nation’s premier basketball league – the Philippine Basketball Association.”

With this new arrangement, Del Rosario added that “well-known and talented Cebu-based  TV panelists Rico Navarro and Sandy Grumo will be reinforced from time to time by a fine basketball analyst Randy Sakdalan.”

Coverage of the games will be aired daily on delay from Monday to Friday, 12 pm to 2 pm. The 2016 CESAFI junior and collegiate basketball competition will have its opening ceremonies at the New Cebu Coliseum this Saturday, August 6 with William “Butch” Ramirez, the newly appointed chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), as its special guest.

Better fit

CESAFI Commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy Jr said he finds the new channel more favorable because Aksyon TV is known as a sports channel.

“I believe this is more advantageous for the CESAFI because Aksyon TV is a channel made for sports. The PBA is there and they will also be covering the Rio Olympics,” Tiukinhoy said.

Navarro, also one of the CESAFI officials and VIVA Sports TV Analyst, said the airing of the CESAFI basketball games may change after the Rio Olympics which will be having the primetime slots for the duration of the event.

“We’re happy that the Smart Group has realized the value of CESAFI. This is the only league outside of Metro Manila that has a national TV coverage,” Navarro said.

Aside from the basketball games, Tiukinhoy said that they will be negotiating with VIVA to also do a coverage for the CESAFI volleyball games, which is being scheduled after the basketball competition. – Rappler.com