MANILA — The Columbian Autocar franchise just made another facelift name-wise.
The club formerly known as the Kia Picanto will now go by the name Columbian Dyip as it will be featured in the very first game of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on April 22.
In a partial release of the schedule for mid-season conference on Tuesday, Columbian will take on Blackwater Elite in the tournament opener at 4:30 p.m. of the said date at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The nightcap will feature TNT taking on GlobalPort at 6:45 p.m.
The Dyip, however, will once again play on April 25 against the Meralco Bolts also at “The Big Dome”, preceding the Elite’s showdown with the Phoenix Fuel Masters.
Two more teams, Alaska Aces and Rain Or Shine (ROS) Elasto Painters, will debut in the conference against each other on April 27 at 7 p.m., right after the Meralco Bolts-GlobalPort Batang Pier game at 4:30 p.m.
Action will then shift to the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City on April 28 as the NLEX Road Warriors debut against Columbian at 4:30 p.m., before the 6:45 p.m. duel between TNT and Phoenix.
Action will then return to the Smart Araneta Coliseum as Ginebra makes its Commissioner’s Cup debut against ROS on April 29 at 6:45 p.m., succeeding the Blackwater-Alaska battle at 4:30 p.m.
The Ynares Center in Antipolo City will get an early dose of Commissioner’s Cup action on May 2 as the Elite take on the Batang Pier at 4:30 p.m. and the Road Warriors collide with the Elasto Painters at 7 p.m.
The action will then go back to the Quezon City arena on May 4 with the Meralco-NLEX game at 4:30 p.m. and the Ginebra-TNT showdown at 7 p.m.
The rest of the schedule will be released at a later date, likely right after the Philippine Cup Finals between Magnolia Hotshots and San Miguel Beermen. (Ivan Stewart Saldajeno/PNA)
