By WAYLON GALVEZ
NLEX guard Kevin Alas was able to raise more than P8,000 after he auctioned his SEA Games memorabilia on Friday which will be donated to his alma mater Letran in its effort to raise P1.5 million to help combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Alas was able to dispatch two autographed items — a Gilas Pilipinas jersey he wore during the 2013 Nay Pyi Taw Southeast Asian Games and a pair of Nike Kobe 8 sneakers — as part of Letran’s effort to purchase personal protective equipment to those in need.
While former Knight described the Gilas jersey as a memorable piece since it was his first stint with the national team, the Kobe shoes is said to be a rare pair of “What the Kobe” from a shoe line by the late NBA great.
“First national team stint ko so very special for me yung pair na yun (jerse and shoes),” Alas. “Tinatago ko talaga yun kasi special pair nga for me.”
“But since maraming affected ng Covid-19, naisip ko na lang mas marami ako matutulungan with that kind of gesture. All proceeds will go to the front liners,” added Alas.
The bidding for the jersey started at P1,500 while bidding for sneakers began at P3000. The bidding opened at 6 a.m. Friday and ended at 10 p.m. of the same day.
The winning bid for the jersey was P2,000, while the sneakers went as high as P6,100.
Fr. Vic Calvo, Letran’s athletic director and representative to the Management Committee (MANCOM) in the NCAA, said that the school hopes to raise P1.5 million through auctions not only from Alas but from other past and present Letran stars.
Among those who part in the auction were Raymond Almazan, Bong Quinto, JP Calvo, Kevin Racal, Jerrick Balanza, Bonbon Batiller, Larry Muyang and Fran Yu, the Finals Most Valuable Player.
“May mga nagbigay nan g mga items na ipapa-auction ng Letran. Open naman sa lahat ito, ang importante yung maka-ipon tayo para makabili ng PPEs for front liners sa buong bansa,” said Calvo.
Letran has already purchased more than 800 PPEs with hundreds more to be distributed in Metro Manila and other regions for 40-plus hospitals as the first batch of beneficiaries.
