24 PHL universities compete in Singapore badminton cup

Over 200 alumni of 24 Philippine schools who are also badminton enthusiasts gathered in Singapore earlier this month for the inaugural Oblation Badminton Cup.

More than just a competition, the tournament is also part of a program to support poor but deserving students in the Philippines, according to Ariel Navaja, president of UP Alumni Association-Singapore (UPAAS).

"Yung inspiration nito is to support scholars in the Philippines," he said.  Even though UP has subsidized tuition, it's not enough to cover the daily expenses of these less-fortunate students."

"So we came up with this program to support them for their daily needs."

The inaugural Oblation Cup, held at the Singapore Badminton Court on October 1, 2017, was a partnership between UPAAS and UP Alumni Badminton Team–Singapore and supported by the Philippine Embassy in Singapore.

Navaja said five scholars have already graduated with the help of the program, one of them a summa cum laude who is now pursuing medicine and a full scholar at the Philippine General Hospital.

Leslie Anne Aguirre, president of the UP Alumni Badminton Team–Singapore, said she was overwhelmed by the support of the OFW community for the event.

"The Oblation Badminton Cup 2017 is the first interschool all-doubles tournament," she said. "It's for a cause and it is helping the UPAAS scholars."

Participants came from the following schools:

• Adamson University (ADU)
• Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)
• Bulacan State University (BSU)
• De La Salle University (DLSU)
• Far Eastern University (FEU)
• Holy Name University (HNU)
• Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM)
• Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)
• Rizal Technological University (RTU)
• St. Louis University (SLU)
• St. Paul University
• Technological University of the Philippines (TUP)
• University of Cebu
• University of Caloocan City
• University of Mindanao
• University of Northern Philippines
• University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR)
• University of San Carlos
• University of Sto. Tomas (UST)
• University of the Philippines (UP)
• West Visayas State University
• Cebu Institute of Tecnology
• Central Colleges of the Philippines 

Mapua Institute of Technology was named overall champion with the highest standing among all levels. 

Both UP organizations anticipate a larger following and are gearing for a bigger event in 2018.  —KBK, GMA News