CALAMBA - For all the banging Felix Apreku received through the course of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President's Cup, it's surprising to see up and about and ready to take more punishment for Pasig-Sta. Lucia Realtors.
It comes with the territory, really, but it also helps that the former Letran banger made the most of every service available inside the league bubble to get his body ready for the games, being a regular patron of the league's two physical therapists.
"Mas alam nila yung dapat gawin eh. Mas naniniwala ako na mas matutulungan nila ako sa recovery and nakikita naman yun sa games," said the soft-spoken bruiser.
So particular was Apreku when it comes to his recovery that he has easily become a notable customer for the PTs.
"Kahit na walang schedule at fully booked, kakatok siya sa amin asking, 'Pwede na ba ako?' From umaga hanggang gabi, lagi siyang nagtatanong kung pwede na ba siya. Si Felix talaga ang pinakamakulit," said Sancho Santiago.
Ria Daluz agreed, saying, "Siya ang present attendance lagi. Di siya demanding. Gusto lang din niya mag-recover."

Apreku was just one of the 49 players who the PTs have nursed inside the Calambubble at Inspire Sports Academy, aside from the others who have approached them asking for relief for their bodily pains.
It's a tough task, one that both Santiago and Daluz took head-on for two tiring yet gratifying weeks.
"It's really challenging, tough, and tiring physically. Every treatment ng athlete, umaabot siya ng an hour, 30 minutes, so matagal talaga," said the 25-year-old Santiago, a product of St. Jude College.
"It's a sacrifice to make kasi we have so many athletes and we're gonna divide it to just two PTs so mga tig-20 to 25 kami. The challenge here was how can the athlete play in their best quality given one day rest, so it's really tough. But still, we tried to squeeze in the best management para sa mga atleta."
Daluz, who is also 25 years old and came from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, echoed those sentiments.
"Challenging, pero masaya talaga siya at the end of the day," she said, grateful for the warm cooperation they got from their clients. "It's not only for us, pero for the players and the staff din and dahil sa support and understanding ng lahat ng tao rito, it makes the job lighter. Lahat ng ginagawa namin was really worth it."
Obviously, it's a difficult task to take, caring for 49 athletes in the pioneering professional 3x3 league in the country, except for players from Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards and Palayan City Capitals who brought their own PT. And they did that all day long, from as early as 8 a.m. to as late as 10 p.m.
But it's not like they were strangers to these tedious tasks. They were built for this.
Santiago has been on the job for two years, working as one of the two PTs of the Jose Rizal University athletic program and attending to the needs of the schools' 400-plus athletes.
Daluz, meanwhile, has worked for three years as the in-house PT for National University, as well as serving as the physical therapist for Generika Ayala Lifesavers volleyball team in the Philippine Superliga (PSL).
No matter how many players they attended to, the quality of care remained the same from Santiago and Daluz. Their services were key in recharging the players back to full strength, and it really showed.
The PTs themselves admit that they share glee seeing how tough these players were, with teams playing a minimum of two games and as much as five per gameday.
"Kung makikita mo yung injured players falling down, grabe yung kaba mo eh," said Santiago. "Pero when he stands up again, parang, 'Yes, he can do it. He can still play.'"

And it makes their job all the more gratifying.
"During the day until the night, hindi mo mafi-feel na pagod ka eh. Pag nandoon ka na lang sa kama, nakatulog ka na pala," said Daluz. "Pero kahit ganun, to start the day, excited pa rin kami eh. We usually talk din how the day went and ang dami pa rin naming learnings."
Safe to say, it was a job well done for Santiago and Daluz.
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