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Haydee Ong takes on WMPBL commissioner role
Haydee Ong has accepted a new role as commissioner of the newly-formed Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL).
The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses’ seasoned mentor who ended the National University Lady Bulldogs’ reign as UAAP Women’s Basketball champions will take part in orchestrating plans to take the women’s basketball to the next level.
The inaugural WMPBL will kick off on January 19, 2025, with the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan serving as its home.
Among the foremost plans of the newly-appointed commissioner for the first season of the league is to feature eight to ten teams consisting of four UAAP squads and the remaining teams will be coming from LGU-based groups.
PHOTO COURTESY: TOMASINOWEB
“It is because of my passion for women's basketball. I think that's the reason why I accepted it, to give a platform for women's basketball after college,” said Ong in Filipino.
Ong is optimistic that the female counterpart of the MPBL, a professional basketball league founded by eight-division boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in 2017, will open up new prospects for female ballers in the country and will serve as a springboard towards the Gilas Women program.
"Of course, the more tournaments or the more leagues like this, the more we can develop for the women's national team. So, that's the bottom line why I accepted the job," said Ong, a stalwart in the Philippine women’s basketball scene.
The UST head coach expects no difficulty juggling her two roles as she had complete backing from her management. In spite of her new assignment, Ong will continue to concentrate on the Growling Tigresses, the defending champions in the UAAP women’s basketball.
"I think it will not be difficult for me because the MPBL actually has a structure in their organization. Everyone is provided there, including table officials. So, my job is really to get the technical ones, the referees to officiate. At the same time, filter out the teams that will participate for this inaugural WMPBL," she said.
UST will be one of the teams that will be taking part in the WMPBL, but Ong will not coach the Tigresses, instead she will be leaving the duty to Allana Lim and Arsenio Dysangco.
Ong and her Growling Tigresses’ topmost priority at the moment is to retain the UAAP title in Season 87.
UST will be facing against the NU Lady Bulldogs in a highly-anticipated rematch of last year’s Finals scheduled on November 6, Wednesday, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
