Big Yolanda ‘assist’ from LA, SMC cagers

MANILA, Philippines - When he saw first-hand what had happened to Tacloban after the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda, LA Tenorio knew immediately that the task of providing relief to the thousands who were affected, was almost insurmountable.

“I saw the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda when I went to Tacloban City with Mark (Caguioa) and other PBA players. It was really terrible,” Tenorio says. “All I could think of at the time was to pray for those who were affected, that they could somehow find the strength to rise above the situation.”

What gave the trip even more profound meaning for him was the fact that just days before, he and his Bgy. Ginebra Gin Kings teammates repacked food items for San Miguel’s relief operations in Leyte, Samar and Cebu.

“We did not think twice when the San Miguel Foundation asked for our help. After practice, the whole team went to San Miguel. We knew at the time that our efforts seemed ‘small’ compared to the massive task at hand, but we just wanted to help in any way we could,” Tenorio says.

With renewed focus to come up with more ways to help after their Tacloban trip, Tenorio, with the help of San Mig Coffee assistant coach Olsen Racela, Gin Kings teammates Japeth Aguilar and JR Reyes and other PBA standouts and celebrities, raised a million pesos from a PBA-backed benefit game for typhoon victims in Samar.

Aside from that, Tenorio and the players of the three San Miguel Corp. (SMC) PBA teams, namely, the Barangay Ginebra Kings, the San Mig Coffee Mixers and the Petron Blaze Boosters, also donated jerseys, shoes, and other assorted memorabilia, to an auction spearheaded by the San Miguel Foundation. The auction, held at the SMC head office, was aimed at raising funds to buy school supplies for children in the Visayas region.

For Tenorio and other players under the San Miguel fold, “helping out” is about living the company’s values everyday.