The state-run People’s Television Network (PTV) is set to launch the Unity League, a grassroots tournament for esports that aims to produce potential national esports athletes under Team Sibol.
For its initial venture, Unity League will hold the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang nationwide tournament open to all Local Government Units (LGU) willing to field their squads.
Apart from providing the needed TV coverage along with broadcast partner Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC-13), PTV General Manager Analisa V. Puod was able to enlist the help of the House of Representatives and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to bolster the league’s logistics.
“The lifeblood of any sport is at its grassroots, and PTV is proud to be a part of the Unity League, which will become a training pool for esports talent in the country,” shares Puod. “It’s time for us to claim our dominant place in esports the way we have in other disciplines such as boxing, billiards, track and field, martial arts, basketball, and more.”
PTV has also tapped the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) to handle the technical and operations aspects of the league, ensuring top-notch nationwide tournaments.
PESO is the recognized National Sports Association (NSA) of the International Esports Federation (IESF) which is the world governing body of Esports and is also a member of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
PESO Executive Director Marlon Marcelo said the Unity League will eventually stage several more Esports game categories in an attempt to provide a major avenue for young but untapped talents around the country.
“The first season of the Unity League will feature Mobile Legends as our first game title. In the upcoming seasons, we would want to organize other esports categories such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Valorant, and Tekken.” said Marcelo.
Esports has been a medal event in the Southeast Asian Games since 2019 and made its Asian Games debut during the 2022 Hangzhou Games in China.
The National Esports Team, also known as Team Sibol, has won a total of seven gold medals in the last three SEA Games. It won three Gold Medals upon its debut in the 2019 SEA Games, and two each in the 2021 and 2023 SEA Games.
On the professional level, the AP.Bren team from the Philippines has won the recently concluded MLBB M5 World Championship. (PR)
