No foul play in Tony's death

A version of the circumstances surrounding former PBA chairman Tony Chua’s death at the height of typhoon “Ondoy” is being talked about in basketball circles that foul play was involved.

Someone said that when Tony was semi-conscious – but still alive – in a clearing away from flood waters on Marcos Highway that fateful Saturday night, he was robbed of his Rolex watch and left wearing only his boxer shorts. The insinuation was he may have been killed by robbers while his driver Grimmer went back to the tree where they had sought refuge to retrieve a bag containing cash and checks amounting to about P1 million.

Tony died with blood trickling from his nose and ears.

But another source refuted the theory, insisting Tony was not murdered.

The source said the morning of his death, he had a 9 a.m. breakfast meeting at Gloria-Mari’s in Greenhills. Tony enjoyed his “lugaw” at the popular restaurant. He went to the meeting with his aide Joenari Pedal and driver Grimmer who used to work for PBA star Jimmy Alapag. After the meeting which lasted about an hour, Tony said he would do paperwork at the Barako Bull quarters in Pasig and go to the team practice.

Since Andy Jao’s resignation as team manager a few months back, Tony reassumed the position while keeping his responsibilities as Barako’s representative in the PBA Board of Governors. He was all set to run the Bulls’ front office as team manager once again this coming season.

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That night, Tony was enroute to his Filinvest home when flood waters rose to clog up traffic on Marcos Highway. Since cars couldn’t move, Tony decided to walk in the water with Joenari and Grimmer. His wife Marissa and their three daughters, Tonirose, 25, Tonisa Francesca, 18, and Anisa Marie, 9, were at home and wondered what to do if the flood waters continued to rise. Tony was concerned about his family and wanted to get home right away. There were many others wading through the flood waters on the highway so it didn’t seem to be a risky proposition.

About 50 to 100 meters from the main entrance of Filinvest, Tony and his companions were taken aback by the sudden rush of water out of a nearby creek. They had reportedly been walking for two hours. Joenari was caught in the water current and swept away, his body unable to fight the frightening swirl. Tony and Grimmer tried to reach out to Joenari but to no avail.

To avoid the same fate, Tony and Grimmer held on to a tree close by. But a big truck rambled through the flood waters, causing strong waves that shoved a floating wooden plank to hit Tony in the head. Grimmer found a clearing away from the flood waters and lay Tony down. He was semi-conscious. It appeared that Tony either suffered a severe concussion or a heart attack. He had to be exhausted walking over two hours and holding on to a tree for dear life to fight off the strong current. He could also have been in shock from the cold of the flood waters.

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Someone said a security guard from a nearby office or subdivision came to help Grimmer try to revive Tony who managed to instruct his driver to go back to the tree where they were to retrieve his bag that contained cash and checks. Grimmer did as he was told and got back the bag with its contents intact. But when he returned, Grimmer found Tony lifeless and his Rolex watch missing.

A source said Tony was fond of wearing boxer shorts so it’s possible he took off his pants to wade in the flood waters. He dismissed the theory that robbers left him in boxer shorts.

“It was a tragic accident without foul play,” said the source. “In the confusion, someone must have taken Tony’s watch. But I think that was the only thing taken. Everything else was intact. His cell phone was retrieved and in fact, calls that were made the next morning to his cell phone were taken by his daughter.”

Tony passed away with a lot of things pending. He was on top of the PBA’s Hall of Fame ceremonies which had been postponed from Sept. 18 and will be held late this week. Tony was in charge of the preparations. He was also excited to bring life back to Barako Bull after a forgettable showing last season.

But his friends – those who admired and loved him – will make sure the projects will go on, if only to immortalize his memory. Tony was a good man whose passion for sports, especially basketball and football, was almost legendary. He had a deep affection for the PBA and in fact, often dropped by the league office for coffee, meetings or just to make small talk.

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When Tony was 10, he played in the Boys Football Association with his childhood buddy George Chua (no relation), now the Barako Bull owner. The best friends later became teammates on the Letran high school football squad. Tony eventually played four years with the Knights senior varsity. He graduated with a business management degree at Letran in 1975 and five years later, was recalled to coach the school’s junior and senior football teams. From 1982 to 1987, Tony delivered four senior and three junior championships to his Intramuros alma mater.

In 1985, Tony formed George’s Agfa football team that took second place in the NCR tournament. He then organized the Agfa basketball club that played in the PABL from 1986 to 1990, winning one title, the VizMin Cup. In 1994, George brought in Tony to put up the Red Bull team in the PBL and in 2000, took it to the PBA.

Tony, 57, was the sixth of nine children born to Haw Hi Chua and Tan Sio Hiong who migrated from Fookien, China.

During an interview last year, Tony intimated, “My hope is for the PBA to be an inspiration for young kids. PBA players must be conscious of their responsibility as role models. We want them to show the right attitude to help the youth build character.”

Tony’s remains were cremated last Friday. He will be missed by his family, friends, the sports media and PBA fans – all of whom were touched by his admirable sense of loyalty, good nature and sincerity.