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PBA opens its 34th season


MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) opened its 34th season Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum to usher in a new era in Asia’s first pay-for-play league. The 10 teams, led by defending champion Sta. Lucia, paraded with their muses during the hour-long opening ceremonies for the 2008-09 season of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup. The parade of teams had some international flavor in it with the Sta. Lucia, San Miguel Beer, Red Bull and Rain Or Shine marched with their Brazilian muses. But the one that brought wild cheers from the crowd is Coca Cola’s muse and local comedienne Pokwang, who paraded wearing a big bottle cap as her headdress. Local beauties Iwa Moto, Iya Villania, Rufa Mae Quinto and reigning Ms. Earth Karla Paula Henry also graced the occasion. No less than PBA board chairman Joaqui Trillo declared the games open. Local child actor Makisig Morales rendered a song number with several child dance groups and the San Beda Indian Boys as his back up dancers that highlighted the KFC-PBA season’s theme of ‘PBA Caring for Batang Pinoy’. Fresh from a season where it drew a record 22,902 in attendance for a single game (Fiesta Conference Finals), the PBA will also undergo minor rules changes. Among the new regulations that will be implemented at the start of the season are the ball-hogging violation which will now be stretched to five seconds instead of the previous three, and the live-ball timeouts which can only be called by the player in possession of the ball and anymore by his coach. – GMANews.TV

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