BAYUGAN City, the “cut-flower capital” of the country, will again host the much-awaited Mayor Kirk Asis Open Invitational Basketball Tournament on June 27-29.

Five teams — four from the National Capital Region and one from the Visayas — will take part in the prestigious, three-day competition to be held as part of the week-long 2nd Bayug Festival activities and the city’s 17th Charter Day anniversary.

Venue of the event is the Lope Asis Memorial gymnasium in Poblacion, Bayugan City in the northern part of Agusan del Sur.

The participating teams are Arianos Construction-Emilio Aguinaldo College, ARQ Builders-Adamson University, Vincare Pharma-University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, Wengburs Apartelle and Ella Store-San Beda University, and the lone Visayas team, Bustamante Construction-University of Visayas.

Well-known basketball coach-organizer Van Halen Parmis said at stake in the tournament is more than P800,000, with the champion pocketing the lion’s share of P300,00.

The runner-up will receive P200,000 and the third placer will earn P150,00.

The fourth and fifth placers will bring home P100,000 and P75,000, respectively.

Tournament format is single-round robin competition with the top two teams battling for the coveted for the championship.

The third and fourth placed teams will dispute third place.

“We are hoping to duplicate the success of our previous tournaments held in honor of Mayor Asis,” said Parmis, who is currently in his 13th year of organizing the annual tournament, which provides free airfare, accommodation, and meals for all teams.

“This year, we have invited four teams from the NCR — one from the UAAP and three from the NCAA. The fifth team will be from the Visayas region– University of Visayas,’ added Parmis.

Parmis said all the games will be streamed live on the Mayor Kirk Asis Open Invitational Basketball Tournament, Down Under Promotions, and Ka-Dayo Facebook pages.

Last year, ARQ Builders-Far Eastern University captured the title after beating NCRAA team Wingbe Apartelle & Adbio Medica OPC-Immaculada Concepcion College in the winner-take-all finals.

Games Thursday:

(Lope Asis Memorial Gymnasium)

8 a.m. –Vincare Pharma-Perpetual vs. Bustamante Construction-UV
10 a.m. –ARQ-Builders-Adamson vs. Weng Burs Apartele & Ella Store- San Beda
2 p.m.– Bustamante Construction-UV vs. Arianos Construction- EAC
4 p.m.– LGU Bayugan vs. All-Star coaches
6 p.m. –Vincare Pharma-Perpetual vs. ARQ-Builders-Adamson
8 p.m. .– Weng Burs Apartele & Ella Store- San Beda vs. Arianos Construction- EAC