Our collective wisdom

The past few weeks have been a blur, gathering interviews of PBA legends for a new documentary, which will premiere in October. In the course of all these interviews, I have been elated, surprised, amazed and shocked. I have seen gigantic, powerful men break into tears, grow wistful, remember their greatest feats, and share secrets nobody else has ever known. In like manner, I would like to share some of their collective wisdom with the readers of The STAR.

Arwind Santos reinforced my belief in turning a weakness into a strength. The San Miguel Beer forward took on a variety of odd jobs as a kid before becoming the breadwinner when his father, a humble security guard, passed away. He swore before his father’s coffin that he would take care of his mother, and he kept that promise.

“I’m thankful to God because I realized every hardship I had to go through made me stronger,” he confided. “Driving a pedicab back and forth with six passengers made my legs strong. Carrying pails of water for all my neighbors every day built up my upper body. I was never ashamed to work, because I had a purpose.”

Bones Floro, grandson and namesake of Crispa patriarch Danny Floro, showed me the value of relationship, which he experienced every day with his beloved Papa. The elder Floro was always there for people, whether they be fans, players, employees or family. Come to think of it, he was beloved by everyone, which is why he thought nothing of eating in the streets with anyone.

“Once I asked him grandfather, ‘Papa, why are we eating here? Why don’t we eat in a nicer place, a good restaurant?’ He said, ‘This is where our people eat. I want to eat here.’ He just loved people so much. Everyone was like family.”

From Marc Pingris, I recalled the value of priorities. When the call came for him to try out for the national team, he dropped everything to do so. Given his busy schedule, he only gets to visit his father in France once a year. But when the historic opportunity came, he had to break the news to his father, who was very encouraging.

“I told my father that this was my dream, and I couldn’t let the opportunity pass,” the Gilas Pilipinas stalwart told this writer. “He said, that’s your duty. Go. Just make sure you see me next year.”

From Freddie Webb, I learned the value of thinking about the future. Most players, especially those in the early years, thought that the good times would keep on rolling. A common theme in my interviews with retired players is planning ahead. Though Freddie was injured before he could start playing in the PBA, that wasn’t his dominant thought.

“At a young age I had six kids,” he smiled. “I don’t know if you could call that irresponsible or what, but I wanted to give them a good life. I thought about how I could send them to school, get my bread and butter. I wasn’t thinking about injury. I was thinking about life after basketball. Basketball didn’t just give me bread and butter, but everything on the table.”

Asi Taulava, who has been surprising people with his durability and intensity even at age 41, uses new technology to help pump himself up for important games. With a new trainer named John Aquino he raves about, Asi has found renewed energy, which he also gets from reading what people say about him.

“I love social media,” the ASEAN Basketball League MVP says. “They didn’t have that when I first started. But now, I just turn on Twitter or whatever, and read what people are saying about me, and I use it as my motivation. I don’t want to just hand the baton to the next guy. You’ll have to earn it.”

And from Alvin Patrimonio, I learned the value of compassion, commitment, of leaving everything on the floor. Save for a brief flirtation with another team early in his PBA career, the man I am proud to have christened The Captain stuck it out with Purefoods (now San Mig Coffee) for 17 years before becoming its team manager. One of only two men to win the PBA Most Valuable Player Award four times, Alvin still gets teary-eyed when he talks about how basketball has changed his life.

“It’s all about passion,” he says very respectfully. “I’m blessed to have experience I can share with the younger guys, about my failures and successes. I tell them, give your best, give your all, for yourself and for the fans. These people have to work to buy tickets to our games. They love us. We have to return that love.”

May their wisdom guide us in our own struggles.