SEAG-bound Harbour 5’s other mission? Entertain the OFWs

Business Mirror
October 16, 2007

Harbour Centre-Philippines kept its streak rolling Sunday by scoring an easy 125-92 victory over the Filipino migrants in a friendly competition in Seoul, South Korea.

Showing how potent their offense is, the Nationals came through with a hail of three-point shots as they settled the game right in the first half after building several 20-point leads.

“The Filipino community invited us to play with them, so as ambassadors of goodwill we obliged to play and gave their families an entertainment they missed while away in the Philippines,” said team manager Erick Arejola.

The win was the third straight for Harbour-RP team since it dropped its initial game against Myungji University Thursday.

In all, the Nationals had 17 triples as they virtually toyed with the overmatched Filipino migrants.

The trip is part of the team’s preparations for the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December. On Friday, the Nationals mauled Yongsei University, 91-76, and then surprised the US Army squad the following day, 102-88,

“Right now, I’m happy with what the team is doing. They’re improving and I hope they can sustain it till SEA Games,” said Harbour Centre owner and amateur basketball godfather Mikee Romero. “They’re not only training but they’re also providing entertainment to hundreds of OFWs.”

While Jeff Chan, Boyet Bautista, Erick de la Cuesta, Jonathan Fernandez and Patrick Cabahug continued to sharpen their shooting arms, Filipino-American Alex Crisano provided fun in the game as he dazzled the crowd with an array of dunk shots.

The burly six-foot-seven Crisano finished the game with 20 points—his highest production so far.

With the five-foot-seven Bautista knocking in four triples, he finished with a team-high 22 points, while Chan added 17, which he highlighted with three triples.

Fernandez contributed 12 points—all from the three-point zone—while University Athletic Association of the Philippines Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jervy Cruz, Beau Belga and Cabahug combined for 27 points.

Back-to-back Philippine Basketball League MVP Jason Castro was used sparingly because of a sprain he sustained during the team’s opening game but still finished with nine points.