So composed. So witty. Always.
PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan gamely answered my question on the not-so-well faring of TnT Tropang Giga in the ongoing PBA Commissioners Cup last week. It was raised during the latter part of the media conference on the Nine Months Earnings Report of the country’s largest integrated telco company.
I think I got a little bit naughty as the beautiful host Miss Cathy Yang, PLDT Corporate Communications Group head, opened the floor for second round of questions. So, the bold me raised this “may we have your comments on the performance of TnT Tropang Giga (in the said league) where Converge (FiberXers) is now ahead in the standings”?
The question, as I heard from the speaker of my laptop computer, elicited some laughs among those physically present inside the conference venue. A review of the video also showed that MVP and PLDT Smart Communications President Al Panlilio put on a smile, I think. There could have been some smirking on other people’s faces present in the hall. But thankfully, I did not get to see any of them.
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Do I care about possible sneering that may have taken place at the venue or online? Probably not.
What I do know (read: value) is how MVP gamely entertained my question in his usual demeanor. The gentle and gentleman that he always is, he answered by enumerating the current standings of not just the TnT but the rest of Metro Pacific teams.
“I’m afraid we are not doing too well as a group, right? Meralco (Bolts) is now 1-5 TnT is razed to the bottom with Meralco. I don’t know where NLEX (Road Warriors) is...in the middle of the pack?
It was a brief and honest remark where he ended “they should face the media like you.” Again, I heard some laughs and saw that patended smile on MVP’s face.
As candid, soft spoken, calm and as natural as he always is, MVP unashamedly gave a picture of how his teams are doing in the PBA right at that moment. As of that time, the Tropang Giga were at 3Ws-4Ls after a 130-117 beating by Converge FiberXers, and a 88-91 loss to Phoeenix Super LPG few days before the November 3 media conference.
I watched the games at the Smart Araneta when corporate/industry rival Converge trounced TnT. At the end of the game, I saw him go down from his seat with Ricky Vargas looking unperturbed, cool and head up high.
It was just a game and a loss to a team whose top honcho Dennis Anthony Uy is a friend of his and a business partner in some endeavors. A game and a loss that take place inside the arena. But outside of it, he always emerges as a victor in a lot of his endeavors. Dealing with media, for one, is an example of how gracious he could be.
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His answer may have been directed to me and probably his teams.
To his teams, it probably was said to pose a challenge to recover from the slump and work doubly hard as eliminations are still midway point. It was probably his way of saying “shape up or ship out” as they prepare for tight finish towards playoffs.
If directed to me, I am also taking it as a challenge not to be so straightforward. I have covered MVP for so many years in the annual PLDT Stockholders Meeting and in his visits to his hometown in Pampanga and that does not give me any form of entitlement. Perhaps, I should be reminded of the adage “familiarity breeds contempt.” Although, putting him on the spot was farthest from my mind when I raised the question.
Regardless now, I am happy to have been part of that event where MVP always goes for his A game.