All-Filipino Cup ticket sales up 3% from last year — PBA

The PBA announced Monday in a press release that it recorded P39 million in ticket sales in the recently-concluded Philippine Cup, a three-percent increase from last year's same conference. Last season's Philippine Cup earned the PBA P38 million. In this year's finals, the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters managed to repeat as All-Filipino champs, becoming the first team in 27 years to pull of the feat, dispatching the Powerade Tigers. They dispatched the San Miguel Beermen, now known as the Petron Blaze Boosters, a season ago. According to PBA media bureau chief and assistant to the commissioner Willie Marcial, the P39 million represents a nine percent gain on the league's projected target earnings, which stood at P36 million. Marcial also said that the Philippine Cup games attracted 340,000 fans, meeting the figures from last season's Philippine Cup. PBA chairman Mamerto Mondragon also added, "This is very encouraging for the league. And we owe it to our fans...they are the barometer of our success. The success of the Philippine Cup is a testament that the fans enjoyed watching the games." The season's next conference, the Commissioner's Cup, in which each team will have one import of unlimited height, begins February 10, with the Barako Bull Energy facing off against the Alaska Aces at 5:15pm, and the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados tackling the Meralco Bolts at 7:30pm. — Adrian Dy/KBK, GMA News