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Tanduay renames team, unveils new squad in MPBL

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ABS-CBN News

Lucio Tan III aims to continue the legacy in grassroots sports development started by his father, the late Lucio “Bong” Tan, with Tanduay’s participation in local leagues including the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).Tanduay is renaming the team Batangas City Embassy Chill at it fields a new squad in the MPBL. They won the Rajah Cup championship during their first stint in the league in 2018.The MPBL will be back after a 2-year hiatus following the enforcement of health protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The team is coached by Cholo Villanueva, who also mentors the revitalized Tanduay Rum Masters in the current FilBasket league and serves as an assistant coach for the University of the East Red Warriors. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/15/22/filbasket-tanduay-coach-learns-from-fallout-with-ex-squad">FilBasket: Cholo Villanueva, ex-Makati players find vindication beating former team</a></li></ul>Tanduay will also field the same players that it currently has in Filbasket including Levi Hernandez, Cedrick Ablaza, Mark Cruz, Dawn Ochea, Johnrey Villanueva, Jeckster Apinan, Wilson Baltazar, John Amboludta, Ralf Olivares, Joshua Gonzales, Darwin Lunor, Mark Dela Virgen, Jaycee Asuncion, Rudy Lingganay, Jay Manlangit, King Importante, and Jong Baloria.“Tanduay has always been supportive of sports such as basketball. The goal is not just to join leagues, but, more importantly, to give players from different communities in the country the chance to fulfill their dreams of making it big in sports,” said Tan, president and COO of Tanduay Distillers, Inc.“I can’t be my dad’s son if I don’t care about basketball,” said Lucio III. “I’m a huge NBA fan. When I was younger, I followed the PBA for a time.”Batangas City Embassy Chill team manager Gerry Tee said basketball is a huge part of the Tanduay culture. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/02/16/22/mpbl-cholo-villanueva-excited-as-new-batangas-coach">MPBL: Cholo Villanueva excited to take over as new Batangas coach</a></li></ul>“Sports development is already ingrained in the culture of Tanduay. Not only do we support teams, but we also support our employees who play basketball. During Mr. Bong Tan’s time, we would participate in many leagues. He wanted his employees to be healthy, so that we could be more productive,” said Tee.Batangas City Embassy Chill will play their first game on Monday, against Imus Bandera at the Batangas City home court.

Tanduay is renaming the team Batangas City Embassy Chill at it fields a new squad in the MPBL. 