FOR some unexplained reason, Pedro Alfaro's name went missing from the PBA's official directory of players for so long, even if there were enough footprints in league annals proving he was among the pro league's first players.
Alfaro is now 67, but his memory of his time in the PBA's formative years remains vivid: of how as an Ateneo de Zamboanga mainstay playing in the Palarong Pambansa, he was spotted by scouts and brought to Manila, where he was recruited by cage great Ciso Bernardo from the MICAA ranks.
And of how, still 19, he was signed to a three-year deal by the CFC Presto with a salary of P800 a month. Or of how he scored 10 points in six games in the 1976 season while playing with the likes of Danilo Phribdas, Loreto Tolentino, Florendo Ritualo, and the Aldinese brothers for the Gokongwei-owned team.
LOOK:
Yet, a look at old editions of the PBA Annual didn't yield a Pedro Alfaro in the official ledger. That oversight was finally corrected a few years ago, when the directory showed an entry of a Pedro Alfaro who played for six games in the 1976 season averaging 1.4 points per outing.
Here it is:
Oddly, that Alfaro entry was missing again in the succeeding edition of the PBA Annual, likely because of a clerical or technical error. But not once did Alfaro make an effort to call the league's attention to it, which he could've easily done since Commissioner Willie Marcial happened to be a friend from way back.
"Nahihiya raw s'ya magsabi," Marcial says when he finally got to talk with Alfaro.
But the truth was, the man himself was the least bothered by the oversight, perhaps because he was secure about his legacy in basketball - not just in his playing career but more so after it, when Alfaro, as a successful businessman, became one of the guiding lights for aspiring players from Zamboanga.
He still is to this day.
Alfaro retired from basketball at the very young age of 23 in favor of a more stable job to support his growing family and, after a brief stint as a sales agent for Pepsi, took over the running of the Alavar Seafood Restaurant, which was started by his wife Marissa's family in 1979.
For decades to this day, Alavar stands as one of the most popular restaurants in Zamboanga. He also runs a number of successful businesses while Alavar has lent its famous Miguels chicken sauce to make Cluck Sarap by Chicken Essentials of Patrick Yap the fastest-growing fast food chain in the region.
His success in business never got in the way of his first love. In fact, it gave Alfaro the means to give back to basketball, which he immediately did as soon as Alavar became stable by serving as sports director and later coach of the varsity teams of his alma mater Ateneo de Zamboanga for over two decades.
Anything basketball in Zamboanga, expect Alfaro's fingerprints to be all over it. He used to host PBA out-of-town games, helped leagues like the MPBL and the NBTC gain footing in the city, and for the last 16 years has served as the regional director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
For the last 35 years, he is also the franchise holder of BEST Center, which has helped advance the careers of aspiring players from Zamboanga.
Zamboanga has a rich basketball tradition, having produced the likes of the legendary Luis 'Moro' Lorenzo, Alfonso 'Boy' Marquez, Jerry Samlani, Jay Mendoza, Noynoy Falcasantos, Arturo 'Bay' Cristobal and Alfaro himself.
Thanks to a basketball circuit that's buzzing with activity, the region continues to churn out players like PBA guards Mark Barroca, RR Garcia, and Mike Tolomia, former Ateneo guard Gec Chia, Rhayyan Amsali and current Ateneo guard Forthsky Padrigao.
Most of these players benefited from the BEST Center program, and that included Alfaro's own sons Marius, Jomari, who played for the San Sebastian Stags in college and now runs Alavar; and Pedro Alfaro III, who is now one of the leaders of the San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA.
"Proud ako d'yan," says the soft-spoken Alfaro of his contributions to Zamboanga's rich basketball legacy. "Ang importante talaga sa akin ang development ng mga bata. I consider that a big part of my success."
No wonder Alfaro isn't sweating over a missing entry in the PBA Annual; his legacy in Philippine basketball is more lasting.
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