There is a brewing rivalry between the two teams, fanned by the sports media, since Asi Taulava was traded last November by his former team to the Tigers, in exchange for former Tigers big man Ali Peek. Since that trade, which happened as the elimination round of the 2007 All Filipino Conference was coming to an end, the Tigers went on to beat the Phone Pals twice, forcing the latter’s early exit (and costing TNT coach Derek Pumaren his job). Last Saturday’s game was a revival of the rivalry, and both teams were out to notch the first victory of the season at the other’s expense.

Lady Luck smiled on the Tigers who steadily clawed their way back into contention in the third quarter before finishing off the competition in the fourth to win 87-79. But the final score was not representative of the intensity of the match, given the two equally determined line-ups. I guess it only represented how momentum can easily swing from one team to another at the drop of a hat – in this case, at a foul committed, a gift shot converted, or a three-point shot sunk at the height of a rally.

But lest you think this has become a sports column, I only write about the game with some intensity because I was there as the team manager of the Tigers. Sitting behind the bench trying to keep calm as the Pals pulled away early on, and cheering on the team as the Tigers slowly fought back.

But that’s not the whole point of this piece. The point of this piece is that I was amazed – and very happily so – that in the City of Panabo – definitely not a common name to non-Davaoenos – there has been built a multi-purpose sports center right beside a modern-day City Hall, representing perhaps the improvements in the quality of life of our countrymen even if they live far from the nation’s capital. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that Panabo City has a sports complex that Davao City does not even have, though I am told a former mayor of Davao City began a similar project but failed to finish it, and it remains unfinished to this day, a victim perhaps of poor planning, of local politics, or both.

Of course it can be argued that building a multi-purpose sports complex and a brand new city hall is not the type of signs of progress we need especially in the countryside. With agricultural production – specifically rice – obviously faltering, and with the quality of health care and education still a problem in many parts of the country, the millions that clearly had to be spent to build the two edifices could have been spent improving schools, stocking hospitals, or giving more incentives to the farmers.

Then again, this should not be an "either-or" argument. The fact that Panabo has become a city is a sign, I suppose, that its income, among other metrics, has reached a certain higher level, hopefully high enough so that other basic services of government will also get their fair share of increased budgets. In the case of Panabo, I think this improved status is all due to the banana industry – a plaque of appreciation from the City to the Coca-Cola Tigers is adorned with a wood carving of a green banana – and the industry is booming with exports to all parts of the globe. So rice production may be falling in some areas of the country but at least Panabo and certain parts of Davao del Norte are doing better in their chosen field of agricultural production.

And can you imagine what being able to host a PBA game signals for Panabo? It is now ready for the bigger leagues, where even sporting events such as future PBA games can become an attraction to domestic tourism. And tourism does mean jobs, as the TV plug says. Tourism also increases visibility – and for a city like Panabo (and others that are not (yet) so famous) hosting a sports event may very well be the "introduction" to the world that is needed to put it on the map.

Then again, maybe the residents prefer things the way they are – with Davao City a mere 30 minutes away some may feel it best to preserve for as long as possible the rustic life in their new city, while deferring to Davao for the hustle and bustle of urban living. But I do believe that once the genie is out of the bottle, that’s it…and with the Panabo Sports Complex having been "inaugurated" with a truly thrilling PBA game, I am willing to bet that things will never be the same again – at least sports-wise – for the city that has pulled off what its bigger sister still has to do!

Mabuhay ang mga taga Panabo City, Davao del Norte!

By the way, I am happy to report here that the Coca-Cola Tigers are doing their share to help save our environment.

Last Friday, the team pledged to support the watershed reforestation effort of the Davao City Water District, becoming responsible for the maintenance of five hectares in the city watershed area that is found within the Mt. Apo National Park.

This commitment spans five years – the amount of time it takes to allow saplings to grow and become "self-sufficient" – that is, have no further need of human intervention through regular weeding, trimming, etc. – and is part of the DCWD effort to protect about 500 hectares so as to guarantee supply of fresh water for the booming city.

This commitment will be formalized through a Memorandum of Agreement between the team and the DCWD soon, but the commitment is immediate and is the team’s own contribution to Earth Hour even though, in this case, it wasn’t all about switching of lights but planting more trees to restore our once-abundant forest cover.