Last Tuesday, July 12, at the press conference for Ogie & Regine's Celebrity Ukay-ukay, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) caught up with one of the charity project's supporters—basketball player and TV host Chris Tiu. As one of the prominent faces of Philippine basketball today, we asked how he feels about the sudden popularity of football, thanks of course to the Philippine Azkals. "Oh well, of course, I'm very happy for the sport," said Chris. "Kasi siyempre, ano 'yan, e, parang re-emergence of football. Kasi dati magaling tayo dun [noong] 1920s and then nawala for a while. "And then ngayon, nagkakaroon ng interest na naman kasi kahit papaano nananalo ang Azkals sa ilang games sa Southeast Asia." With the Azkals gaining more admirers, and football getting serious attention from sports followers, does he feel that basketball is somehow taking the back seat in terms of fan support? "Well, I'm happy that hindi lang basketball ang sinusundan ng tao ngayon. "Kasi siyempre, advocacy ko talaga is to develop sports among the youth because I really believe in the values that you can learn from sports. "Kesa naman yung mga bata ngayon, e, tumatambay lang d'yan or kung anu-ano'ng bisyo'ng ginagawa. Mas maganda na na ma-involve sila sa sport, di ba? "Siyempre ngayon kung interested sila sa soccer, kasi napapanood nila yung Azkals, why not, di ba?" Why is it so important for him to imbibe the spirit of athleticism among the youth? "At least they're able to train as a team to learn how to work in teams. "They're able to instill discipline, nakakapag-training sila physically they're able to develop their skills, di ba? "I think its great for the country also." Chris says he is very proud of the Philippine Azkals for their recent success in the games versus the Sri Lankan football team. He also hopes to have the same luck for the Smart Gilas National basketball team, of which he is the captain, as they enter the Olympic Games qualifier this September.
BILLBOARD ISSUE. Being an athlete and brand endorser himself, we also asked Chris about his opinion on the recent billboard controversy in EDSA. This involves the underwear ads of the Philippine Volcanoes rugby team which were taken down by city officials for reason of "indecency" and for being "hazardous distractions" to metropolitan drivers. Chris says of the issue, "Well, if they're gonna remove guys who are sexy, dapat girls din na masyadong sexy ang mga billboards because for the safety of the drivers 'yan, e, di ba? "Kung mga driver, hindi naman girls ang tumitingin. Karamihan ng driver lalake. "E, kung if they're gonna start glancing left and right while they're driving in EDSA, e, that's a highway, you know. "It's a main highway in our city, and [if] it's gonna risk and endanger the safety of our travelers, then I think the city government should be responsible for that and they should make the necessary actions." He did not comment whether he agrees with the city government's discretion calling the ads "indecent." Chris explained, however, his personal stand on posing sexy for his endorsements. Can we expect to see him in a sexy advertisement soon? "No," was Chris' immediate reply. "I mean, ever since before naman, I'm sure napansin naman lahat ng endorsements ko very wholesome 'yan. "Kung medyo controversial siya or medyo indecent siya, hindi ko tinatanggap. "I don't know, [maybe because] I was groomed and I was raised by my mom and my family in a very conservative home. "My mom would always remind me, 'You have to make sure whatever you do in public is it would encourage and teach the right values to people who see what you're doing.' "For me it's not really all about the money or the fame but rather if it's something that I feel that is... Well, if you're asking me if I'm gonna do billboards like that, I don't think [so]. "I think it's a bit too daring for me, for my personality," says the cager who turned 26 yesterday, July 15. --
Demai Sunio-Granali, PEP 
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