Chooks to Go eyeing to join PBA

By Jesse C. Ong 

Chooks to Go, a fast-growing chain of stores selling roasted chicken and processed meat, is looking to get more seriously involved in Philippine basketball. 

From merely supporting the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team, the popular brand is now planning to invade the professional cage scene by joining the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

In a published report on online sports website spin.ph, Bounty Agro Ventures Inc. president and general manager Ronald Mascariñas said that they are setting their sights on entering the league by buying an existing franchise.

“We’re really on the lookout. The shortest route is if there’s an available franchise for sale,” he said.

Mascariñas expressed hope that a sale could happen before the end of the year, but noted that nothing is concrete as of the moment until they start any formal negotiation regarding the matter. “Mukhang may possibility na before the end of the year, we might be able to negotiate a buyout of an existing franchise,” he said.

But even if they are bent on penetrating the bigger basketball picture, Mascariñas stressed that their current focus is on supporting the national men’s basketball team. And their partnership with the squad, he added, is not just until the Southeast Asia Basketball Association (Seaba) tournament, but could go on until the country achieves its goal of returning to the Fiba World Cup.

“We are very excited to be part of the journey of Gilas Pilipinas as they take the next step towards realizing their dream of reaching the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup and the 2019 Fiba World Cup,” he concluded.