The Philippines is unquestionably a basketball-crazy nation, and proof of this is the ubiquitous presence of basketball courts in practically every corner of every barangay in the archipelago.
This is why the idea of establishing a basketball league in a community setting had appealed to former actor and ‘indie’ film director Carlo Maceda, who saw the need for a genuine grassroots program for basketball involving aspiring, talented players who will otherwise have little chances of making it to the more established leagues.
It didn’t hurt that as a young University of the Philippines student, Carlo loved to play the game, but realizing that he wasn’t that good enough to make it to the top echelon of varsity basketball at that time, he instead focused on his studies.
Over the years, Carlo’s career path took him to acting, directing and managing his own business (Megapixel Marketing and Creative Services, Inc.), but his passion for the sport remained.
Last year, Carlo finally had a chance to rediscover his basketball roots, but this time he thought of forming an amateur basketball league with the community as focal point.
Together with wife Derlyn and friend Jeanette Beltran, they mapped out plans, called up some knowledgeable people for help and bravely plunged into organizing the fledgling league, which they dubbed as the Community Basketball League.
“At first, medyo nahirapan din kasi I came from a different world although meron din naman akong mga kilala sa basketball, some of them my former teammates sa UP. Pero with the help of some people, we decided to go ahead,” Carlo said.
The help Carlo got came from the likes of PBA coach and basketball legend Pido Jarencio and another veteran coach in Bonnie Tan, who gladly lent their knowledge and expertise in running a new basketball league.
As producer and director, Carlo also made full use of not only his organizational skills but the equipment and the tools needed to document the games.
Aside from the cameras and the equipment which CBA uses for coverage of the games, Carlo also put up Glitter via facebook, which covers the leagues’ activities and games through live streaming.
But the ‘final piece’ that proved crucial for CBA was when IBC-13 agreed to air the games at primetime (starting at 6 p.m.) for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games.
“We’re really thankful that IBC-13 came on board, kasi a basketball league needs an audience, and being covered by a network was definitely a big boost,” said Carlo.
The CBA started with 12 teams, counting Rizal, Malabon, Pasig, and Paranaque as pioneers, but in less than a year since it started in June 2018, the league now boasts of 70 teams, spread over the National Capital Region, Visayas (Cebu alone has 42 teams) and Mindanao.
Carlo is undoubtedly proud of what had become of the CBA as an alternative basketball league in so short a time, but his excitement goes beyond the early success of the league.
“What is really exciting are the benefits that the league brings to the community. This goes beyond basketball because we also bring business sa community kasi ‘pag may laro maraming tao, kumikita ‘yung mga tindahan sa area, maraming nabibigyan ng trabaho at pagkakakitaan.”
Needless to say, CBA also provides allowances for the players and pays the salaries for its staff and personnel. And because a league of this magnitude needs more personnel and logistics, Carlo decided to train out-of-school youths, specifically the ones from St. Mary’s School (Boys Town) in Cebu, and homeless people in the communities to be part of the league and earn their keep.
Still, the ultimate vision for the CBA is to discover, nurture and develop aspiring players as they showcase their skills in a league they can really call their own.
“CBA is a league for the community and the players living in communities, or even in far-flung areas in the country. In CBA, we believe that organizing a basketball league is not about money, but what you can do to help the youth fulfill their dreams,” said Carlo.