Some of the top schools in the country will duke it out for the right to be called the first ever Mobile Legends: Bang Bang national champions with the Philippine Collegiate Championships (PCC), powered by Collegiate Center for Esports, set to go underway this August. 

(From L to R) Jose Chua Jr., Xiaomi marketing officer, CCE president Stanley Lao, Quezon City sports head Benjamin Afuang, Playdex co-founder Daniel Laborada, and CCE general manager Jay Recto.

CCE chairman Stanley Lao, president Waiyip Chong, chairman emeritus Peter Cayco, and general manager Jay Recto broke the news last Monday, May15, together with Playdex co-founder Daniel Laborada; Jose Chua Jr., Xiaomi marketing officer; Benjamin Afuang, Quezon City sports head; and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) sports development head Ana Dulce Yango.

“The goal has always been to find an avenue for these young players to help them with what they want to do and guide them in the right direction through Esports,” Lao said. 

“Ang Esports ay sports, hindi lang siya laro. Meron tayong mga professional basketball players, meron din tayong mga professional esports players. Nanalo na nga tayo sa SEA Games eh. Now, andito ang CCE para sumuporta sa inyong lahat.”

More than 2000 schools from across the Philippines will participate in the first stage of the tournament, and the four best squads from the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will make up the final 16 teams which will advance to the top 16 of the tournament, sponsored by Xiaomi, with Playdex as its official community platform. 

The 16 teams will then be divided into four groups, and the games will be played in a round robin set-up. The top two teams of each group will advance to the final eight which will be hosted by the Quezon City government at the Amoranto Arena. 

From that point on, it will be a single elimination playoffs format with the matchups being played in a best-of-three up until the finals, with the championship being played in a best-of-five format. 

“The competitive acumen of Filipino gamers have been sharpened by these tournaments and we at Xiaomi are very proud to have provided products and the platform to posture the growth and development of Esports and gaming in the Philippines,” Chua stated. 

“Basically, Xiaomi partnered with CCE because we acknowledged that Esports in the Philippines is really big and we wanted to be a part of the progress of young Filipino people joining Esports.”

But it’s not only fun and games for CCE. 

The CCE will also be putting up Masterclass, an immersion program which aims to help schools broaden their knowledge about the gaming industry. 

CCE will be looking at 12 schools for these activities, with CHED supporting this endeavor to make sure that it provides an environment of inclusivity that promotes esports in all communities without discrimination. 
 
“That's the point for us, we want to break the stigma for the student-athletes to have a future in terms of esports,” Recto shared. 

“Alam mo naman sa history natin, pag sinabing naglalaro ka lang, wala kang future. So PCC prides itself in breaking the stigma.”