CHRISTIANNE Mercado Calilan, one of the trusted and long-serving utilities of Barangay Ginebra, passed away on Wednesday due to a lingering illness.
He was 51.
Fondly called Ian by friends, Calilan, who came from a well-known basketball family, has been with the Ginebra franchise since 1999.
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His passing came as a surprise as he was still in the game during Barangay Ginebra’s Manila Clasico match again Magnolia on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
His father, Cristino ‘Cris’ Calilan, was a PBA pioneer and part of the 1976 Crispa grand slam team, who later transitioned into coaching, while his grandfather, Francisco ‘Kiko’ Calilan was an alternate in the 1948 London Olympics and played for the Philippine men’s team that captured the first-ever Asian Games men's basketball gold medal in New Delhi, India in 1951.
Coach Cris also served as Ginebra deputy coach under Rino Salazar and briefly as interim coach.
The entire Barangay Ginebra team has pooled its resources together for the bereaved family, including long-time import Justin Brownlee.
His body lies at Room C, second floor of Funeraria Filipinas JP Rizal St, Poblacion, Makati City.
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