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STARTING this season, the Philippine Basketball
Association (PBA) will institutionalize the giving of the Perpetual
trophy to the champion of the Philippine Cup.
Renowned national artist Ramon
Orlina was commissioned by the league to design the special trophy
made out of 18 karat gold and worth half a million pesos.
But getting the ultimate prize
also comes with a price.
Only the team that wins the
tournament, featuring an all-Filipino format, three successive times
will be bestowed the prominent trophy.
Otherwise, only a replica of the
award will be hand out to one-time or two-time winners.
“We’re institutionalizing the
Perpetual trophy since the Philippine Cup has been long considered
as the most prestigious tournament in the history of the PBA, being
an all-Filipino conference,” said PBA commissioner Noli Eala.
“We want every PBA ballclub to
experience the prestige and honor of winning the Philippine Cup.”
Eala took the occasion to extend
the league’s gratitude to Orlina, who has consistently dazzled the
art scene with his glass sculpture.
“We truly appreciate the time
and effort being put up by Ramon Orlina in this special project
considering the hectic schedule he had with his constant traveling
abroad” Eala added.
An owner of a Bachelor of Science
in Architecture diploma at the University of Santo Tomas, Orlina has
been into arts for more than 30 years now. Among his famous
masterpieces include “Arcanum XIX” Paradise Gained (1976), the
public project for the Greenbelt Lagoon Chapel at the heart of
Makati City (1983), Wings of Victory (1986), Fertile Crescent (1986)
and Quintessence (1995), all commissioned for Singapore, Perfection
(2006), Diamond Sky (2006), Love Offering (2006), Rising Amber
(2006), Blue Sapphire (2006), Soaring (2006) and Infinity II (2006).
In 2000 he won first in the
Sculpture Category in the II International Biennal of Basketball in
the Fine Arts held in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, after which, sports
have been part of Orlina’s sculptural concept.
Besides the PBA Perpetual trophy,
Orlina is currently doing work on Tetraglobal, an outdoor monumental
work commissioned by UST on its 400th anniversary celebration.
In the 32-year history of the PBA,
no team has won an All-Filipino tournament three successive times.
Crispa and Great Taste were the
only squads that came close to achieving the feat by winning
back-to-back All-Filipino crowns. The legendary Redmanizers did it
twice, 1979 and 1980 and 1983 and 1984, while the Coffemakers were
the last two do the trick in 1984 and 1985.
The Redmanizers have the most number of All-Filipino titles won with
five, followed by San Miguel and Great Taste with four each.
Purefoods was trying to make it
two-in-a-row this season, but failed in its bid after being ousted
by Talk ’N Text in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Philippine
Cup.
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