EVEN before his retirement at Barangay Ginebra, the late team masseur Raphael ‘Jun’ Vicera was the subject of a viral video made by the firm.
Shortly after the Kings won the 2017 PBA Governors Cup championship, the team came out with a video entitled ‘Ganado sa Buhay’ based on the life of the 67-year-old Mang Jun.
The ad campaign served as a tribute to the ‘unsung heroes’ of the team, who, one way or the other, also played an important role in the success of the franchise.
Vicera, for one, had been with Barangay Ginebra for 37 years, even ahead of the team’s acknowledged leader Robert Jaworski Sr, who didn’t come on board until Toyota disbanded at the end of the 1983 season.
“Nasiyahan ako sa napanood ko, na tungkol sa akin yun (video),” said Vicera in a 2017 interview with CNN Philippines when the campaign first came out. He was joined in the guesting by former Barangay Ginebra players JayJay Helterbrand and Chris Ellis, along with Ginebra San Miguel brand manager Paolo Tupaz.
Here's the commercial based on Vicera's life:
At Barangay Ginebra, Mang Jun was a jack of all trades.
“Nagsimula ako noon na nagmamasahe ng player, nag-a-assist ng bola, nagbibigay ng tubig, lahat na,” he recalled.
Not only did Vicera work with the present day players of Barangay Ginebra, but likewise those from the team’s historic past, like Jaworski, Dondon Ampalayo, the Loyzaga brothers Chito and Joey, Bal David, Noli Locsin, and Marlou Aquino.
“Namamasahe ko sila para matulungan ko rin sila na gumanda ang laro nila,” said the soft-spoken Barangay Ginebra utility staff.

And of the many magical moments the ballclub pulled off in the years he was with the firm, nothing beats the original when Ginebra’s never-say-die spirit was born.
“Kalaban namin yung Northern Consolidated nun. Tinamaan siya sa bibig, napunit. Kaya dinala sa doctor siya,” Vicera related about that famous tale of how Jaworski needed to be stitched in the hospital after accidentally being hit by a wayward elbow of naturalized playing Jeff Moore during a 1985 game between Ginebra and NCC at the ULTRA (now Philsports Arena).
“Tinahi yun. Bumalik siya ng third quarter, naglaro. E, tambak na kami nun,” he added. “Nung bumalik siya (Jaworski), naipanalo niya pa.
“Nabuhayan lahat ng players namin. Lumaban sila, nahabol, hanggang sa nanalo pa kami.”
Mang Jun died early Sunday morning due to complications from diabetes.
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