CEBU CITY, Philippines — Basketball action in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) is set to resume Sunday, September 6, after the league temporarily halted games amid concerns over Metro Cebu’s deteriorating air quality.
The return immediately carries added excitement as former PBA star Dondon Hontiveros prepares to make his coaching debut with the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) Webmasters.
According to the latest CESAFI schedule, UCLM will face the UC-Main Webmasters at 9 a.m. on Sunday at the Cebu Coliseum, giving Hontiveros his first official game as head coach of the newly established collegiate program.
The resumption follows a series of postponements linked to the haze affecting Cebu. SunStar reported that CESAFI had to move scheduled games after Cebu City authorities extended the suspension of face-to-face classes because of unsafe air conditions attributed to smoke and haze from large wildfires in Indonesia.
With conditions improving enough for CESAFI to restart its competition, the league’s basketball calendar now shows a packed Sunday program at the Cebu Coliseum.
Hontiveros faces a familiar challenge
All eyes, however, are expected to be on Hontiveros.
The Cebuano basketball icon was tapped to coach UCLM’s first collegiate basketball team when the school entered CESAFI Season 26. His appointment marked a new chapter for the former professional player, who previously played for the University of Cebu before embarking on a decorated PBA career.
Hontiveros’ transition from player to coach is particularly significant because UCLM is not simply another new team in the league—it is a new collegiate program created to give more student-athletes opportunities to continue their education while competing at the CESAFI level.
University officials previously said the program would also provide a pathway for graduates of UCLM’s high school basketball program to continue playing at the collegiate level.
Hontiveros is also balancing his coaching responsibilities with his involvement with the Cebu Greats in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), making his first CESAFI campaign an intriguing test of his ability to manage both roles.
UCLM’s baptism of fire continues
UCLM’s CESAFI journey did not get off to an easy start.
The Webmasters opened their campaign against the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) during the season’s opening weekend. The matchup was billed as one of the major attractions of CESAFI Season 26 because it also served as the competitive debut of UCLM’s new collegiate program under Hontiveros.
The new team is entering a particularly competitive college division.
CESAFI Season 26 features established programs including four-time defending champion University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, University of Cebu, University of San Jose-Recoletos, USPF, Cebu Institute of Technology-University, Benedicto College and University of San Carlos, alongside newcomer UCLM.
The league’s official schedule currently lists nine teams in the collegiate field, with UCLM joining the established contenders.
A bigger CESAFI season
The 2026 season is also shaping up to be one of the league’s more significant editions.
CESAFI has introduced new elements this year, including additional participating schools, a new sport in college-level pickleball and a digital platform intended to give fans greater access to schedules, statistics, livestreams and athlete information.
The league has partnered with Stats Central for streaming and statistics, while CESAFI.ph serves as its digital hub. Live basketball streams are available through a subscription model, while delayed viewing is also offered.
For Hontiveros, though, the immediate priority is much simpler: get his young UCLM team ready to compete.
His earlier comments emphasized that the goal goes beyond winning games, with the coaching staff seeking to develop student-athletes both on the court and in the classroom.
And now, after the disruption caused by the haze, the stage is set again.
Hontiveros will finally have another chance to make history—not as the player Cebu fans grew up watching, but as the coach leading a new generation of Webmasters.
The question now is whether his first game on the CESAFI sidelines will end with a debut victory—or the beginning of a much tougher rebuilding journey for UCLM.
One thing is certain: Cebu basketball will be watching.
Current Sunday CESAFI basketball schedule
The official CESAFI schedule lists seven games for September 6, including several youth-category matchups before the collegiate games. The two senior men’s games are UP Cebu Fighting Maroons vs. Benedicto College at 7:30 a.m. and UCLM Webmasters vs. UC-Main Webmasters at 9 a.m., both at the Cebu Coliseum.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
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