Rebel Sports happy to forge ties with teams in PBA, UAAP, NCAA

AFTER making its return to Philippine sporting scene following a successful stint in the international market, Rebel Sports is beginning to make its presence felt.

The group is starting to make its foothold in major basketball leagues in the country — the PBA, the UAAP and the NCAA.

In the PBA, Rebel Sports has become the outfitter of the GlobalPort Batang Pier, a team led by Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle, the most explosive backcourt tandem in the league.

Rebel Sports is also starting to make its mark in the collegiate scene with its involvement with National University in the UAAP and the Lyceum of the Philippines University in the NCAA.

The National University Bulldogs are one among the dark horse teams in the UAAP while the Lyceum Pirates have become the surprised leaders in the NCAA, winning their first 12 games and remaining unbeaten.

For Joel Cu, owner of Rebel Sports, getting back in the Philippine sports mainstream is something he has envisioned the past few years. Like any other companies, they had their birth pains as they folded temporarily in the late 1990s, but concentrated on creating customized shirts in the international market, catering to the demands in the United States and Australia.

“That’s what we’ve envisioned. We are Filipinos yet we were there serving the international market. So we made it a point to come back and become the newest Rebel in the local sporting industry by providing them high quality yet cheaper service,” added Mr. Cu. Team Rebel Sports started in a small scale. From a five-man working crew, it has grown to about 200 ready to meet big orders.

“We’ve learned that to be able to cater to big orders, we need manpower. Now, we have around 200 dedicated people working day and night,” said Cu.

Reliability is another area wherein Rebel Sports wants to focus in.

“We don’t sleep until we finish the uniform. That’s our difference from the other makers. At one time, I even brought the uniform to US. I have a factory also in China, but our people there failed to meet the deadline, so we shipped out from China then had to rush to the US just to bring the 200 sets of football jerseys for a one day tournament and we did them here in the Philippines. Our factory is in the mountains. They live in the mountains. That’s why we’re called Rebels,” added Mr. Cu. —