By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The JB Amateur Basketball League (JB ABL) successfully opened the newest installment of its Barangay Take Over edition on July 21, 2024.
With the main aim of locating more talents in every barangay in Iloilo City and providing an avenue to all hoops fanatics, JB ABL chose brgy. Balabago in Jaro and already held its opening ceremonies at the Alta Tierra basketball gym.
This is JB ABL’s third Barangay Take Over, having its first conference in brgy. Ilaya two years ago while also treating the residents of Brgy. Rizal in La Paz for its second successful tournament.
This time, the basketball conference was made possible with the collaboration from the Alta Tierra Village Basketball Club (ATVBC) and its founding officers.
Three categories will be highlighting this year’s Barangay Take Over in Balabago, the 25-Under, 26-40 years old, and 40-up.
Each category had six total teams participating, with three homegrown teams from Balabago while the other three squads were invited as guest participants.
According to JB ABL commissioner and founder Jayphet Balbacal, this newest conference of the Barangay Take Over is monumental due to the warm appreciation given to him by the residents of Brgy, Balabago.
Balbacal added that the end goal is still the same for this edition, and that is to coordinate with the chosen barangay, build a basketball program, to help the upcoming generation be exposed more to sports.
“Now we are on our third installment sang Barangay Take Over, this time, ari naman kita sa Balabago. Pareho lang gd diri gyapon aton nga tuyo, and that is to give exposure sa mga kabataan sang barangay, and also sa mga basketball fanatics sang lugar. May 3 categories kita nga maka cater from young to our basketball titos, and lipay gd kami kay successful ang aton opening. Hopefully, masundan pa gd ini later this year or first quarter next year,” said Mr. Balbacal in an exclusive interview with the Daily Guardian.
