Ecija govt funds RP Baseball Team for Qatar

PALAYAN CITY -- They would not allow the Baseball team to be out of December Asian Games due to lack of funds. Thus the Nueva Ecija provincial government resolved to provide P600,000 to augment the team’s funding requirement of P1.2 million.

Philippine Sports Commission Chair Ricardo Garcia and Commissioner Robert Aventajado received on Wednesday the check from Gov. Tomas N. Joson 3rd and his son, senior Board Member Edward Thomas at the provincial Capitol here.

Joson said the provincial board, headed by his younger brother, Mariano Cristino "Boyet" Joson, passed and approved the resolution to grant the 22-man RP Baseball Team P600,000 upon learning through newspaper reports that the country could not send it for lack of sufficient budget.

The team has only P500,000 while the funding requirements for the December 1-15, Asian Games at Doha Qatar is P1.2 million.

Incidentally, among the Josons’ top sports projects include the Little League Baseball where the board member who also heads the Team Nueva Ecija Foundation is the provincial chair.

“Nueva Ecija has been a province of baseball and softball enthusiasts. In town and barangay fiestas, softball games lure audience more than basketball or any other sports,” the board said.

Vice Gov. Boyet, it turned out, has been a softball pitcher for San Beda in its NCAA Junior and Senior Teams while Gov. Tommy also played with the Juniors.

“We train here grade school tots and high schoolers for Little League baseball,” the board member noted.

Garcia meanwhile said the RP Team expects to reap at least five golds in the Qatar competition. -Armand M. Galang