CETBA bowlers dominate 6th STBAI-NBT Open 2026
CETBA (Cebu Tenpin Bowling Association) bowlers, particularly their Senior bowlers, dominated the 6th STBAI-NBT Open Tenpin Bowling Championships that ended Sunday, April 19 @ the SM Bowling Center, 3/L SM Seaside, SRP, Mambaling in Cebu City.
Ging Francisco, 72, kept exchanging the lead in the preceding 10 game Open Masters finals with Marvin Sevilla, 70 from the second game onwards. He however, edged Sevilla by 4 pins, 1243-1239 to take the top seed position into the Step-Ladder finals. He then defeated Sevilla in the Grand Finals, 187-180 to take home the Open Masters crown, and the PHP 60,000 cash prize. Sevilla took home PHP 25,000.
It was sweet revenge for Francisco. Earlier in the week, Sevilla (1620) took the Senior Masters crown over Francisco (1590), with Dodong Aris Dionio (1542) finishing in third..
In the Open Masters Semifinals, Sevilla defeated former RP Team member Jomar Jumapao of STAI, 188-148 to arrange the titular showdown with Francisco. Jumapao finished third with 1194, while Danny Sabang also of CETBA missed the last slot for the step-ladder by only 6 pins with 1188 to finish as Third Runner-Up. Sylvia SG Tesch of host STBAI finished as fourth runner-up with 1166.
So close was the race for top honors that only 3 marks separated the top 10 bowlers for vying for the last step-ladder final slot going into the last game.
Jumapao and defending champion Rene ceniza (CETBA), won the Group A and B Stage finals respectively and took home PHP 10,000 each. The top nine (9) bowers from each group battled it out in the Grand Finals.
STBAI President Dante Florante Calipay Sr., awarded the winners along with PBC President Guillermo Mallillin, PBC EVP Eric Bucoy, Sec-Gen Bien Dollente, Treasure and NBT Executive Director Emma R. Banez and Board Director Rico Licarte.
The 6th STBAI-NBT Open is the fourth leg of the 2026 PBC- National Bowling Tour. The next leg will be the 20th ATBA Open Championships, which will be held on May 16-24, 2026 @ Paeng’s Freedom Bowl, 3/L Robinson’s Imus, Aguinaldo Hi-way, Imus City, Cavite.
