In the inaugural Philippine Collegiate Championship (PCC) 2023 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Tournament, the University of Southeastern Philippines Davao Campus (Usep-Davao) came in third out of 320 participating teams.
Representing Usep-Davao was Agila Esports, which drew considerable attention when they triumphed over thrice champion Lyceum of the Philippines (LPU Pirates) in the playoffs on December 2, 2023, securing an assertive victory with a 2-0 score in the best-of-three series.
They successfully moved on to the semi-finals where they faced the University of Perpetual Help System Laguna (UPHSL Saints) on December 3, 2023.
Despite displaying admirable effort, Agila Esports ended up on the losing side in the best-of-three series against UPHSL Saints, with a 2-1 score. However, they managed to claim the bronze medal after beating University of San Agustin Cebu’s Sage Caritas.
The team walked away with a P50,000 cash prize out of the P250,000 tournament pool.
The members of Agila Esports — Lorenzo De Gracia (Oying), Khent Bryan Omblero (Soren Khent), Paul Clement Tan (Impostor), Joshua Macantan (Don Chakwawa), and John Vincent Chan (Kirr) — remained hopeful for their future quests.
“This is not the end; it’s the beginning. This experience isn’t something to forget, instead it’s something to cherish. We are just beginning to fly,” mentioned Macantan, the team captain of Agila Esports, on his Facebook post dated December 4, 2023.
Adding to this, Northeastern Mindanao State University (NEMSU)-Cantilan earned recognition as one of the top two teams from Mindanao, having overcome 52 other regional teams to symbolize the region on a national level. De La Salle University (DLSU) Viridis Arcus clinched the title of the tournament champion, while UPHSL Saints bagged the second place.
The PCC, which was supported by the Commission on Higher Education (Ched), was designed to pave the way for collegiate esports in the country.
In his interview on December 4, 2023, Lance Bautista, PCC project coordinator, stated, “The organizers are advocating for esports players to be accredited as athletes in their respective schools. This event is also conceived to foster a sense of unity among players and organizations.”
Through PCC, there is a push to generate positivity and competitiveness within a gaming environment. It serves as a platform for collegiate esports players to experience memorable gameplay while representing their regions and schools.
Bautista let slip the plans to introduce Farlight in the upcoming tournament season. Contributor: Krizzy Daugdaug