MANILA – ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. is bringing greater coverage to countryside basketball after partnering with the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL). Officials from the PCCL and ABS-CBN signed a contract that gives the broadcast giant exclusive rights to air PCCL games for the next five years.

Present at the contract signing on Tuesday were ABS-CBN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gabby Lopez, ABS-CBN President and Chief Operating Officer Charo Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN Chief Financial Officer Ron Valdueza, and ABS-CBN Sports Vice-President Peter Musngi.

PCCL Chairman Rey Gamboa signed the deal. He was joined by PCCL Vice Chairman Oscar Reyes, Atty. Pablo de Borja, and PCCL marketing head Anette De Ocampo.

The PCCL, which is on its sixth year, is a collegiate men’s basketball tournament that draws participating teams nationwide.

The league includes Manila-based squads from the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) as well as teams from other parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

In 2008, the De La Salle Green Archers won the PCCL crown after defeating the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles. Report from ANC’s On The Scene

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