7 October 2020, Calgary – Philippine Consul General to Calgary Zaldy Patron hosted a lunch meeting on 3 October 2020 with five Calgary-based Filipino-Canadian basketball players who will play for the next seasons of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) in the Philippines.

 

Consul General Patron met with basketball players Alonzo Tan and Antonio Eusebio, who will play for the men’s basketball teams of the University of the Philippines, brothers Terrence Crisostomo and Alfonso Crisostomo, who will suit up for the National University men’s basketball team, and Paul Gulfo, who will play for a still unnamed team in MPBL.

The Crisostomo brothers were born in Manila while Mr. Eusebio hailed from Pampanga. Mr. Tan and Mr. Gulfo were both born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

All four UAAP-bound players were high school graduates from Calgary and are currently enrolled and taking online classes in their respective Philippine universities.

The five players are products of the Calgary D’ League, an athletic club that aims to produce local basketball talents. The league gives opportunities for its players to play in Calgary and in other parts of Canada. 

Consul General Patron commended the five players for deciding to play in UAAP and MPBL. “I hope that that you will inspire more Filipino-Canadians to excel in sports and consider playing in the Philippines,” he said.