Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Friday admitted getting emotional after the University of the Philippines (UP) advanced to the UAAP men’s basketball finals after 32 years.
“I was Chairman of UP Student Council in Diliman and we mobilized the students to rally, shout slogans & cheer for our UP Maroons to victory,” the senator wrote in an Instagram photo of the university’s 1986 basketball team.
Pangilinan recounted: “Sa halip na ‘Makibaka’ ang mga sigaw namin, naging ‘Go Maroons!’”
“Kaya ako naluha at naiyak nung Mierkules nang manalo ang UP. Naalala ko ang huling beses na umabot kami sa finals,” he added.
UP’s win against Adamson University (AdU) on Wednesday, Nov. 28, led them to the UAAP finals to battle with defending champion Ateneo de Manila University.
The first game of the historic battle between neighbors UP and Ateneo is set to happen on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
Pangilinan also mentioned some of the players who helped bag UP’s first men’s basketball title.
He said: “Heto ang UP Varsity Basketball UAAP Champion team nung 1986. Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, Eric Altamirano et al. 32 years ago.”
Paras was UP’s sensational 6’4” center at the time while Magsanoc was the point guard who led to the university’s historic win. Altamirano, on the other hand, was hailed as the 1986 UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Defeating the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors in 1986 led to UP’s first championship that was over 40 years in the making. /muf
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