NCAA’s Back on Court: The End of Online Ceremonies

By: Jhon Marc Austria

After a two-season break from holding ceremony rites, the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) finally opened the curtains again to the public held on September 10 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

NCAA halted its face-to-face tournaments in 2020 due to Covid-19. For the past two seasons, the NCAA held the ceremonies online with the partnership and help of the GMA Network.

The ceremony kicked off with a festive concept where festivals around the country were featured. Each of the universities brought in its senior basketball players to represent the festivals of the Philippines. Various delegates and artists also boasted the event with their performances. Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo hosted the ceremony with Martin Javier and Manolo Pedrosa. Making the event even brighter, GMA Network has presented the association with various Kapuso artists to perform and be the face of the ceremony.

The league’s host for this season, Emilio Aguinaldo College, ushered in the celebration of the opening ceremony. Mr. Jose Paolo Campos, the current league president, welcomed the fans to start the season. Mr. Campos ends his message with a quote, “Let season 98 be a festival of the rebirth of the spirit of achievement, of rebuilding a better tomorrow and of a rejoicing life”, encouraging everyone to stand up, to surpass the achievement that people had yesterday and be an instrument to the betterment of life.

The association wishes to see its collegiate members, players, and students aim to achieve greatness every day - as the season’s theme implies, “Achieve