WNCAA to feature Fil-Chinese culture

FIRST- TIME host Saint Jude Catholic School (SJCS) will feature FilipinoChinese culture elements during the opening ceremony of the Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association ( WNCAA) 47th season on Saturday at the Makati Coliseum.

“We would like to share our Filipino- Chinese culture, being a Filipino- Chinese School. So we would be having a fusion of performances so we would have the traditional dragon dance, lion heads and we would also be having fire- themed dancers,” said SJSC Creative Director Bianca Gelido in a news conference.

The theme of WNCAA, “Women on Fire: A legacy of passion,” took inspiration from the year of the Fire Monkey of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Volleyball superstar Alyssa Valdez and former University of Asia and the Pacific ( UA& P) seniors’ basketball team captain Ross Teotico will be the event’s guest speakers.

WNCAA Executive Director Maria Vivian Manila announced that St. Paul College Pasig ( SPCP), Miriam College ( MC), and Rizal Technological University ( RTU) would receive overall championship awards in the midgets, juniors, and seniors divisions, respectively, during the opening ceremony.

The WNCAA basketball tournament will also start on Saturday with the SJCS facing St. Stephen’s High School ( SSHS) at 12 noon in the juniors division, five- peat Centro Escolar University ( CEU) battling third place Philippine Women’s University ( PWU) at 1: 30 p. m. and UA& P clashing with MC at 3 p. m. in the seniors division.

Meanwhile, the volleyball matches will start on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Malate. Second placer San Beda College Alabang ( SBCA) will go up against Assumption College San Lorenzo at 12 noon while CEU and PWU will face St. Scholastica’s College ( SSC) and MC, respectively.

The 16 participating schools will compete for titles in basketball, volleyball, badminton, lawn and table tennis, taekwondo, softball, futsal, swimming and cheerdancing.