Philippine Embassy in London successfully launches Ambassador's Cup Basketball Tournament  

20 April 2007 – Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Edgardo B. Espiritu reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Embassy organized the first Ambassador’s Cup Basketball Tournament on 14-15 April 2007 at the Lister Community School in East London .  

Among the eight teams from all over the United Kingdom that participated the tournament, Epsom won the championship title in the single-elimination tournament, Central London came in second, and Worming third.  Other teams included Birmingham , East London, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Southampton .  

In lieu of Mayor Sir Robin Wales of the Borough of Newham, UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rt. Hon. Stephen Timms, MP, was the guest at the launching of the Tournament.  

In his message, Mr. Timms thanked the Embassy for the invitation and acknowledged the growing Filipino community in the UK , and in particular, in East London , with an estimated number of 6,000, and forms a sizeable fraction of his constituents.  

Ambassador Espiritu expressed his gratitude to the players for their enthusiastic response to the Embassy's invitation to the first Ambassador's Cup Basketball Tournament.  “I know very well that many of you present today have to work even during weekends,” he said. “And I am very grateful that you take time off your work to be here.  Your presence is well and truly appreciated."  

At the closing ceremony, Deputy Chief of Mission Reynaldo Catapang remarked, "I hope this is just the beginning of more fruitful and lasting cooperation between the Philippine Embassy and me Filipino community.  Your enthusiastic response to our invitation to this event inspires us to do more activities like this in the future."  

The Philippine Embassy intends to hold similar events that could become a conduit for achieving cohesiveness and unity among the various sectors of the Filipino community and eventually, thus eventually raising the profile of the Filipinos in the UK .  

Ample support for the tournament was provided by the East London Sports Association (ELSA) and the Kapisanan ng Manlalarong Pilipino sa lnglatera (KAMPI).  Sponsors of the tournament included Quadrillon, Milagrosa, Megaworld International, Planet Philippines , PNB Europe, Max Magdalena of Direct Money Remittance, Farochilen Group of Companies, Twilight Express and NPC, Lutong Pinoy, FM Pasyalan and OWWA.  EN

/jay

(Home)