After eight years of standing as a godfather of the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team, businessman Januario Jesus “JJ” Atencio bid the Maroons adieu this University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88.
The move was due to “personal reasons.”
But at the same time, Atencio felt it was time to help Ateneo regain its former glory now that the Maroons have become a formidable team.
The last time Ateneo made it to the championship round was in Season 85 (2022), when it reclaimed the crown lost to the Maroons in Season 84 (2021-2022).
Ateneo president Fr. Roberto “Bobby” Yap also reached out to Atencio at the right time, having long wondered why the latter wasn’t pouring resources to his alma mater instead.
Atencio met with the people involved in the Blue Eagles’ sports program, including college buddies Rudy Ang and Johnny Go.
“That paved the way for the sponsorship,” Atencio told Biz Buzz.
“But the bigger picture is the establishment of the Januarius Athlete Performance Center at the Blue Eagle gym. We’re bringing in state-of-the-art performance testing for athletes that can digitally measure all components related to an athlete’s performance,” he said.
Atencio’s group, after all, is the Philippine representative of VALD Performance, global provider of technology to measure, manage and improve athletes’ strength, power, movement, balance, asymmetry and more.
“With all that context, we can now say that the reason why we’re supporting Ateneo now is because we’ve always been attracted by the underdog story,” he said.
“Remember that when we came into UP, they were placed 7th. And now they’re at the top. So we hope to do the same with Ateneo. We’ll support the team when they’re down and continue to help all the way to the top,” Atencio added. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
Defending ‘Champion’
Meanwhile, aside from their longtime Ninang Robina Gokongwei-Pe, who has sustained support—via the Gokongwei group’s multibrand retail group Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. and pet food brand Top Breed—the UP Fighting Maroons have secured funding from other big corporate groups.
This is especially crucial as they strive to defend the crown in the men’s basketball category this year.
The Maroons’ newest benefactor is Champion Detergent, manufactured by homegrown company Peerless Products Manufacturing Corp. (PPMC).
During the bonfire held at the UP Diliman campus to celebrate the Maroons’ victory last December, a fan gave Harold Alarcon, one of the premier state university’s popular players, a bag of Champion detergent soap.
Harold brought the bag and proudly displayed it onstage.
Photos of that scene must have reached PPMC, whose leaders realized that sponsoring the UP Fighting Maroons would be good promotion for their brand.
“More than the wins, what excites us at Champion is being part of the incredible story of this team and this community,” said PPMC marketing director Caloy Bacani, on behalf of company CEO and president Simeon Tiu.
“In recent years, UP Men’s Basketball Team has rightfully taken on the challenge of rising to become one of the very best—if not the best—teams in the UAAP. You’ve done so by embodying principles that deeply resonate with us at Peerless Products: a passion for excellence, a strong sense of ownership, and a deep commitment to people and community connection,” he added.
NowheretogobutUP Foundation chair Jed Eva added: “Champion’s entry as a partner of the UP Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) is a big win not just for the team but also for the entire UP community. It shows how trusted Filipino brands continue to believe in our program and the values we stand for. Their support strengthens UPMBT’s program and motivates our players to push themselves even further.”
For the sixth straight year, the Maroons also renewed their partnership with PalawanPay and the Palawan Group of Companies. Tickets for this season will now be available through PalawanPay app.
Then, there’s Bank of the Philippine Islands, which pledged its support starting 2024.
For their OOTD, Puma is now the official outfitter of the Maroons. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla INQ