Some of the largest e-sports companies and personalities in the Philippines have come together under the revamped banner of the Philippine E-sports Organization (PeSO) to seek accreditation as the country’s official national sports association for e-sports.
Backed by telecom operator Smart Communications, PEsO is comprised of Philippine e-sports firms Bren Esports, Gariath Concepts, Mineski Philippines, The Nationals, PlayBook Esports, Tier One Entertainment, TV5, and TNC Holdings.
PeSO has applied for accreditation from the Philippine Olympic Committee to be the official NSA for the Philippines, giving it the main responsibility to govern and develop e-sports nationwide.
PeSO is also the sole organization accredited by the International E-sports Federation (IESF) since 2012. Its member organizations had previously worked together under the banner of the Esports National Association of the Philippines (ESNAP) and the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Esports Union (PSEU) for the staging of the first ever e-sports event in the SEA Games held in the Philippines in 2019. The AESF had sanctioned the PSEU to execute the SEA Games e-sports tournament.
The AESF also signed in March 2020 an agreement with the IESF, wherein the IESF recognizes and acknowledges AESF as the sole federation for e-sports in Asia, while the AESF recognizes and acknowledges the IESF as the sole international federation for e-sports.
In the 2019 SEA Games E-sports Tournament, Bren Esports, Gariath Concepts, and TNC worked under the leadership of The Nationals commissioner Ren Vitug to be the National Technical Officials (NTOs) of the tournament, while Mineski Philippines and TV5 co-produced and streamed the event for all the participating countries.
Distinguished individuals from Bren Esports, Mineski Global, PlayBook Esports, and Tier One Entertainment provided the coaching and management staff for Team Sibol, the Philippine National Esports Team. Gariath Concepts managing partner Joebert Yu was also overall competition manager for the tournament.
To kick off the milestone, PeSO will be mounting the Philippine Qualifiers for the 12th IESF World Championship to be held in Eliat, Israel in December. This year’s Philippine Qualifiers will be an online format, featuring DOTA2 and Tekken 7.
Team Sibol’s Andreij “PBE.Doujin” Albar took the bronze medal in last year’s IESF World Championships, and PeSO is confident that this time, Team Sibol can match, if not exceed, last year’s contingent’s performance and standing.
“With the support of Smart Communications, there is no doubt that we are in a stronger position to place in this year’s IESF World Championships,” said Brian Lim, president of PeSO. “Smart’s commitment to support and grow e-sports and the national team, Sibol, is crucial and is definitely appreciated.”
Jane Basas, SVP and head of consumer wireless business at Smart, said: “Our goal is to continue leading the way to bring glory to Philippine e-sports. After supporting Team Sibol in the 2019 SEA Games, Smart reaffirms its commitment to the e-sports industry by looking for the next members of Team Sibol who will represent the Philippines in the IESF World Championships. “
The search for the newest members of Team Sibol starts this September 2020. Details on the Philippine Qualifiers for the 12th IESF World Championship will be announced through the PeSO Facebook Page. TV5 and Cignal, who have been strong advocates of e-sports on Philippine airwaves, will air the Philippines Qualifiers on One Sports and One Sports Plus.
