ARE we going to see the day that the NLEX Road Warriors basketball team has to be renamed MHDPEX Road Warriors?
That has been the talk of sports fans following news of Congress approving a bill to rename the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) as the Marcelo H. Del Pilar Expressway or MHDPEX in honor of the writer and hero.
The bill (House Bill 8958), authored by Bulacan first district Rep. Joe Antonio Sy-Alvarado, still has to pass through Senate and signed by the President before the rename is implemented.
A high-ranking NLEX official who refused to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter admitted the prevailing sentiment in the company is that the rename won’t happen.
“If Senate approves the renaming, then we don’t have a choice but to abide and adjust. But hopefully, it doesn’t materialize because we have done so much for the NLEX brand and the world-class recognition it has achieved,” said the official.
The NLEX Road Warriors were established in 2011 as a developmental team, winning six PBA D-League titles in three years.
The Road Warriors then moved to the PBA by purchasing the Air21 franchise, and began playing in the professional league in the 2015 season. NLEX has become one of the challengers to the bigger clubs, and featuring big names such as Kiefer Ravena and Gilas Pilipinas head coach Yeng Guiao.
The official said the company hasn’t thought about the next step for the team if NLEX is renamed as MHDPEX, but admitted it will be very tough task to decide on what to do.
“We will cross the bridge when we get there. Even the smartest marketing practitioners will definitely be challenged with having M.H. Del Pilar for a PBA team.
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