In line with their advocacy of helping students in their online education, members of the NLEX Road Warriors fully support the team's online game for its fans—the Arangkada! NLEX Road Warriors Online Assist.
The team is giving away 15 tablets and a laptop for the grand prize winner, plus a pocket wifi to each gadgets won during the online contest where participants are tasked to guess the No.3 and No. 4 picks of the squad in the first round of the coming PBA Rookie Draft to be held on March 14.
“For the players, they’re contributing at least one tablet as a way to help the students and learn online. Kasi that’s the trend now. In order to be able to continue school or do some business, actually, a lot of businesses are now going online,” said NLEX Road Warriors' general manager and head coach Yeng Guiao.
“'Yung sa akin, laptop, which is actually the grand prize. The players contributed a Huawei tablet each. We have 15 players doing that, so that’s 15 units, then 'yung isa kong laptop, that makes it 16 prizes.
Every unit will also be given a pocket wifi, para mas madali para sa winners. We wanted to help out, we wanted to show appreciation and combined it with a little fun,” Guiao added.
Participants of the Arangkada! NLEX Road Warriors Online Assist will be required to guess the team’s No. 3 and No. 4 picks, respectively, in the first round of the PBA Rookie Draft’s regular order of selection.
The special draft for Gilas Pilipinas is not included.
“Magkatuwaan tayong hulaan nila kung sino ida-draft namin at No. 3 and 4. Kailangan tama 'yung order. Kailangan No.3, tama 'yung pangalan and No. 4, tama rin 'yung pangalan. Hindi puwedeng ma-interchange 'yun. We’re asking our fans to join us in this fun and at the same time, our contribution to online learning or business, whatever it is. Gagawin natin ito, March 14 is the draft. At 12 in the afternoon is the deadline. The draft is going to happen in the afternoon. Then, on March 18, we will draw the winners. All the winners who made the right guesses will be put together in a glass jar and will be raffled to determine the winners of the 15 tablets and one laptop,” added Guiao.
Submission of entries to the Arangkada! NLEX Road Warriors Online Assist had just started and details of the mechanics of the contest are already posted in the team’s official Facebook account (https://www.facebook.com/ArangkadaNLEX).
In the first session of the Arangkada! Breakfast With The NLEX Road Warriors, players of the team strongly supported the advocacy of helping the students in these very challenging times.
“I feel very blessed because we know how tough the times are right now. We just wanted to give back to the community and help out,” said forward Anthony Semerad.
Team captain Kevin Alas said it’s a small gesture of helping the students, providing them essential things needed for the modern day education.
“It’s a small way of the NLEX Road Warriors to give back. Sobrang blessed namin kasi salaries namin tuluy-tuloy. It’s a small gesture for the team to give back kasi ang daming kababayan natin nahihirapan, nawalaan ng trabaho, nagkasakit. Maliit na bagay lang ito para makatulong kami,” added Alas.
Guard Kenneth Ighalo acknowledged the challenges the students are facing right now and he feels proud to be a part of such a noble endeavor.
“Nakikita natin sa news everyday, na maraming estudyante 'yung nahihirapan na maka-join sa class nila kasi nga walang gadget or walang internet. Sobrang happy namin na makakatulong sa mga kababayan,” said Ighalo.
Bong Galanza, Jericho Cruz, veteran center JR Quinahan and the rest of the players felt they’re blessed to receive their salaries even when they were idle for about nine months brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and taking part in this project is their own little way of helping out.
“Sobrang blessed namin, it’s time to give blessings sa iba, lalo na ngayon pandemic, 'yung iba walang work. Kami tuluy-tuloy pa rin ('yung suweldo),” said Galanza.
“Marami akong kakilala na kapos rin, humihingi ng tulong. Sana sa maliit na tulong namin napapasaya namin sila,” added Quiñahan.
