AS they face more battles in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup, the TNT Tropang Giga took a quick break from the hardcourt to spend a few hours with their fans and supporters at the headquarters of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) in Makati City.
“I’m excited because this is my first time visiting Smart headquarters. Immediately after practice, we headed straight to meet the employees, and it’s always nice to engage with our own family here in our homebase,” said Team Manager Jojo Lastimosa.
“We are always looking for opportunities to fuel the passion of our employees through sports. This is a way for us to thank the supporters of TNT Tropang Giga within PLDT and Smart; and at the same time it allows us to help create a happy space to inspire our employees by bringing in the athletes that they look up to in their place of work,” said Jude Turcuato, PLDT and Smart Head of Sports.
Fans and employees were able to interact, play, and take photos with the basketball players Barkley Eboña, Calvin Oftana, Paul Varilla, Ryan Reyes, Glenn Khobuntin, Brian Heruela, Kib Montalbo, Roger Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Jewel Ponferada, Henry Galinato, Jr., Kim Aurin, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Poy Erram, together with rest of the coaching and management staff led by Head Coach Chot Reyes.
Long-time TNT fan and Smart employee Marlon Gadiana was beyond thrilled to have an opportunity to get up close and personal with his favorite players. “I’ve been a fan of the team since 1999 – they were still Mobiline then. I’m glad to have met Jayson Castro and Calvin Oftana—who hails from my province Negros Oriental.”
Meanwhile, PLDT Lead Community Relations Associate Kat Mallari grew up watching a lot of PBA games with her father, who would always root for TNT. “He and I used to bond over watching basketball games on TV, and these are great memories that I had with my dad. This is why I have such a strong affinity with basketball.”
Collecting cheek hearts with the players who were game to go with the flow, Mallari shared that the best part of the event was really being able to meet and play games with them. “It brought so much laughter to the fans!” she shared.
TNT Tropang Giga brothers Brandon Arnell Ganuelas-Rosser (L) and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser (R) signs merch to give away during the activity with fans at Smart HQ.
“It’s always a humbling experience to see the amount of support, happy faces, and smiles from fans, and today, with PLDT Smart employees really feels like a family,” said Kelly Williams.
“The effort goes into making sure that we’re all on the same page, gelling, understanding that there’s more to this than just winning games and playing well. It’s about being good people, good human beings, growing, and being open to being coached. And we believe that the wins come as a result of those things,” the TNT forward said.
“It’s really nice to be reunited with our dear PLDT and Smart employees-supporters and giving us the chance to visit their workstations and have a quick kamustahan. For the new members of the team to experience it, this is very special. This is one way of appreciating all the support they give to the team and we’re looking forward for more engagement with them,” said TNT Tropang Giga Team Captain Jayson Castro.
When asked what the team was most looking forward to for the rest of the season, they hope to bring home another all-Filipino championship. “That’s the goal,” the team said. After the meet-and-greet, the team was reinforced with GIGA support of PLDT Smart employees.
Lastimosa also recognized the importance of having the fans come to the game to cheer for the team. “We are grateful to them, and I hope they would continue to support us. We hope to meet them more often during the games and activities like this one.”
Watch the recap of the event and more TNT Tropang Giga content on Puso Pilipinas.