{
  "id": 5363404,
  "title": "Robinsons returns for 17th year of UP basketball sponsorship",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/robinsons-returns-for-17th-year-of-up-basketball-sponsorship",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Philippine Star Business",
    "slug": "philippine-star-business",
    "url": "https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/09/04/2553810/robinsons-returns-17th-year-basketball-sponsorship"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Manila, Philippines — Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI) has continued its long-standing sponsorship of the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team for an impressive 17th year. The partnership, which began in 2010 when the UP Men’s Basketball program was still finding its footing and faced some of the toughest seasons in its history, has become a testament to RRHI's unwavering belief in the team. RRHI chairman Robina Gokongwei-Pe explained that the decision to remain a sponsor was rooted in a personal understanding of what it takes to build something from the ground up, similar to her experience when RRHI, then a relatively new retailer, faced skepticism from suppliers who doubted the company's potential.\n\nGokongwei-Pe drew a parallel between the early days of RRHI and the UP Fighting Maroons, emphasizing that both the company and the basketball team saw something promising in the other, willing to invest in their future success. The company's continued support goes beyond the sponsorship itself, representing a genuine desire to give back to the institution that shaped Gokongwei-Pe and her family. She noted that the UP Men’s Basketball Team's return to the UAAP Finals during Season 81 of the partnership, marking the ninth year of RRHI's involvement, symbolized the tremendous progress the program had made.",
  "summary": "Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. is continuing its longstanding sponsorship of the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team, marking the partnership’s 17th year.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}