BEN OBRIQUE - How hardworking role players are always appreciated....

Recent photo of Ben Obrique

         It was a warm and windy Thursday afternoon, the 17^th day of May, 2018, when basketball legend Abe King picked me up at the clinic building of my best buddy in Torrance, California. It was my first time to see the Chairman of the Boards – a meetup intended to complete King's player profile. Abe and I went to the Hilton where another basketball legend, Etok Lobo and his wife, Lina, were billeted. Abe is based in Seattle while the Lobos reside in Chicago.

After a couple of hours, the three brought me to Gerry’s Grill in Cerritos for dinner with two other former PBA basketball stars, Noni Robles formerly of Great Taste Coffee and Manila Beer and Ben Obrique of CDCP / Galleon, who are also based in the US. And just like that, I was surrounded by four eminent former PBA players over a couple of rounds of beer, sisig, crispy pata and chicharon.

I was seated in front of Ben. I remembered him, even if he didn’t believe me at first. His two-year stint in the PBA was relatively uneventful as he humbly claimed it to be, so I had to describe his playing style to convince him. Ben Obrique is not exactly a household name – at least, not in the category of the Jaworskis or the Fernandezes or the Cos or the Adornados. But the basketball follower in me since I was 5 years old made me recall his exploits not just in the PBA but also in the MICAA and Interclub where he was one of the more prolific players of his time.

With PBA stars Ben Obrique, Noni Robles, Abe King and Etok Lobo at Gerry's Grill Cerritos

I was struck with Ben’s humility. True enough, we hit it off well, talked about hoops like long-lost friends, and relived the good old PBA days. When we parted ways, Ben and I promised to keep in touch with one another on Facebook.

Ben arrived in Manila a few weeks ago and had lunch at the Aristocrat Restaurant in Malate on a Saturday. I convinced him that I do his player profile, an arrangement he reluctantly agreed to. It was consistent to his personality – a soft spoken, almost reticent individual who shied away from the spotlight. I felt though that he deserved to have his own profile, if only for his children and grandchildren to appreciate the career of their patriarch.

With Ben Obrique at Aristocrat Restaurant, Manila

Early Years

Robinson Galigao Obrique was born on May 23, 1955 at Roxas, Mindoro Oriental. His father is Gregorio, who passed on in 1991, and his mother is Leodigaria, who’s turning 93 years old this year. Ben is the second child of 8 boys and is the only one who took basketball as a career.

Ben grew up in Roxas and studied at Roxas College in Mindoro Oriental where he graduated in 1972. Because of financial reasons, Ben couldn’t immediately pursue a college education. Instead, he did what he did best – play hoops. When he was in his senior year at Roxas College, a hometown basketball hero, Chito Villarisis, saw Ben playing in the school intramurals and invited him to play for Roxas in the inter-town league in Mindoro. Apparently impressed with Ben’s fearless and constant incursion to the basket, he didn’t have to go through a tryout to be part of the roster. After a jittery first game, Ben ended up becoming the team’s top scorer despite being the youngest in the lineup at only 17 years old.          

Ben Obrique and his afro hairdo back in the late 70's

Finding Fortune

Obrique continued playing basketball for his hometown up to 1974, until he was invited to suit up for one barrio in another inter-town competition. This was where he found his fortune, when a scout of coach Nicanor Jorge, Sr. saw him lead his team in scoring. The scout invited Ben to try out for the Adamson Falcons in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) where Jorge was the head coach. He was able to pass the tryout, was given academic scholarship by the San Marcelino-based school, but had to go through a one-year residency before he can suit up. Given his limited financial resources, Ben couldn’t afford to study in college despite the free education. Jorge, though, offered him a scholarship to play for the Philippine School of Business Administration in Recto where the latter was also coaching. The school was a member of the Philippine Inter-Colleges Athletics Association (PICAA) and Obrique was allowed to play without undergoing residency.

The 1976 PSBA Jaguars 

Collegiate Stint

In 1974, Obrique finally found himself playing for a collegiate basketball team while taking up BS Management. His notable teammates included Ramon Dizon of Royal Tru Orange, Monico Martinez of the Mariwasa-Honda Panthers, and amateur standout Romy Matias. The Jaguars reached the Finals of the tournament, losing out to the Philippine Maritime Institute (PMI). The year after, the Jaguars exacted vengeance, beating PMI in the sudden-death Finals.

The league eventually became bigger in 1976, absorbing schools like Feati, University of Manila (UM) and Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) to form the Manila Universities and Colleges Athletic Association (MUCAA), then the third most prestigious college league behind the NCAA and the UAAP. Yet, despite the increase in competition, the Jaguars, with Obrique, finally inserted in the starting lineup and leading the offensive charge with more than 23 points per game, were able to win the first ever MUCAA title. PSBA defeated the Feati Hi-Flyers that featured another prolific scorer in former pro Nazareno Batoon.

A Sports Weekly article on Ben Obrique

The PSBA Jaguars celebrating after winning the MUCAA title

An article on Ben Obrique's heroic performance against the Letran Knights

Playing Commercial

With Obrique slowly creating a name in the collegiate circles, it wasn’t a surprise that commercial teams would come knocking at his door. He was penciled to play for the San Miguel Braves in the MICAA along with college teammates Dizon and Matias, but was relegated in the reserve lineup when the team opted to hire players from the Visayas – a practice that the team has been doing since the 60’s. Two of those players included Biboy Ravanes and Badong Ramas, with Ravanes taking over the position that Obrique was supposed to fill.

Fortunately, Imperial Textile Mills (ITM) head coach Nardo Marquicias gave him a call and offered him a roster spot. Obrique, though, had to give up his schooling after three years to play full time in the MICAA. ITM was one of the darkhorses of the league, and featured such stars like Romy Mamaril, then, the tallest player in the league, former PSBA teammate Martinez, Ramon Cannu of the Mapua Cardinals, former national team player Cesar Yabut also of Mapua (and later with Tefilin) and Bobby Segura of the victorious 1977 Adamson Falcons team in the UAAP and the younger brother of Toyota star Ompong. ITM failed to crack the semifinals though, as the traditional powerhouses – Frigidaire, Solid Mills, Crispa and YCO – made the Final Four. The eventual champions, Frigidaire featured the likes of ex-pros Pol Herrera, Mon Cruz, Bokyo Lauchengco and Joey Marquez, beating Solid Mills, bannered by the likes of Yoyoy Villamin, Hector Calma, Marte Saldaña, Ray Obias and Rad Pasco, in the Finals. Crispa showcased the former Ateneo players (Steve Watson, Joy Carpio, Padim Israel, Fritz Gaston) while YCO had guys like Abe Monzon, Greg Gozum, Ely Capacio, Bert Dela Rosa and Chuck Barreiro.

Ben Obrique grabbing the rebound

After one season, Obrique left ITM to rejoin his mentor, Jorge - suiting up for Masagana 99 in the newly-founded Interclub tournament in 1978. The team offered him board and lodging at their office along Elliptical Road in Diliman, Quezon City, allowing Ben to save up financially. The Interclub was an amateur tournament that also featured the top MICAA players. It featured teams like the Romago Electric Company, Yanmar Diesel, the YCO Painters, Sunrice, Villar Records, Masagana 99, Bax Jeans, Dansei and Summa Kumagai. With Jorge putting his faith on him, Obrique became the Rice Growers’ leading scorer and the team’s catalyst, averaging close to 25 points per game in winning the first Interclub title. He was backstopped by notable players Joeven Francisco (played for Tefilin), former national player and now coach Leo Austria (played for Shell), and another former national team player, Boy Aquino. Masagana 99 defeated the Herminio Disini-owned Summa Kumagai team in the Finals. Summa Kumagai paraded players like Jerry Samlani, Pasco, and former FEU Tamaraw stalwart Danny Manalastas. Later that year, the Rice Growers went to Cebu to play the Cebu Interclub titlists, Mama’s Love (led by Pongkee Alolor) at the University of Visayas Gym, only to lose by two against the Cebu-based squad.

Ben Obrique with a nifty layup

Obrique continued playing for the Rice Growers until the end of the 1979 season. He led the team to the Finals again in a rematch against the Turo Valenzona-mentored Summa Kumagai but the results were different, as the engineering company ended up as the victors this time around. That turned out to be his last amateur game with the PBA at his beckon.

Curiously, Obrique was supposed to have played for Summa Kumagai in 1978 and was already practicing with the team until he decided to rejoin Jorge after feeling a sense of discomfort with the team environment.

Turning Pro

            In 1980, a close associate of then President Ferdinand Marcos, Rodolfo Cuenca, decided to put up a team in the PBA. Cuenca, who was also appointed by Marcos as project director for golf, was the Chairman of Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines, one of the biggest construction companies in the country. In putting up a PBA team called Galleon Shippers, he hired Jorge to coach the team while retaining the core of the defunct Filmanbank team of the Silverios. Those who came from the Bankers included big names like Boy Kutch, Larry Mumar, Romy Palijo, Nilo Cruz, Ben Ocariza, Edmon Tierra and Amang Ladores. Jorge recruited eternal partners Etok Lobo and Tony Dasalla from the U/Tex Wranglers, while bringing in Joseph Herrera from YCO in the MICAA and Obrique. The 12^th player would have been the high-flying Gary Vargas, but his entry to the team got derailed as the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) failed to issue his clearance to turn pro.

An article of CDCP joining the PBA in the 1980 season

            Obrique nearly didn’t make it, though. When Obrique was doing well at Masagana 99 in the Interclub, Jorge was in the United States and wasn’t able to witness his improvement as a player. With a little help and prodding from Jorge’s wife, Marilyn, the portly coach gave Ben the opportunity to live his dream of playing in the PBA. He inked a 3-year contract worth P3,200 a month, his biggest paycheck ever.

            Unfortunately, the first conference of the 1980 season started with the Open, featuring two imports each for all the teams. Obrique, wearing jersey #10, didn’t get to suit up until his fourth game in the PBA, versus the Great Taste Discoverers. Galleon, which bannered the 6’10 Larry Jackson and the 6’4 Paul McCraken as reinforcements, established a commanding lead and Obrique was finally given floor burn during garbage time with the outcome already decided but ended up scoreless. He continued to languish on the bench as the imports dominated the show (Jackson was later replaced by 6’11 NBA veteran Jeff Wilkins).

First Two Points

            With the second conference, the Invitationals, featuring only the top 3 teams of the previous conference (Walk Tall, Toyota and U/Tex) going up against visiting teams – the Nicholas Stoodley US selection team and the Adidas Rubberworld squad of France, the Shippers prepared themselves for the 3^rd Conference, the prestigious All Filipino. Obrique, who was still struggling to find a spot in the regular rotation, made sure he was ready for the coming conference by getting himself in top condition. In the team’s initial game against no less than the Toyota Tamaraws, Obrique finally scored his first two points, a 15-foot jumper from the right elbow with no less than Robert Jaworski, Sr. guarding him. There’s a side story to this story though, which will be discussed later.

            It was in this conference as well when Ben finally found his shooting touch, torching the Royal Tru Orangemen with 24 markers despite the constant hounding of sentinel Tony Torrente. Obrique was scoring in single digits in the team’s first 5 games before this breakout game. It was unfortunate though that the Shippers, despite a stellar 16-14 win-loss record for the entire season (third best in the league behind Walk Tall and Toyota), failed to reach the semifinals of the All Filipino as well. But it was an auspicious start for an expansion team.

            In 1981, Galleon re-branded as CDCP with the Road Builders undergoing a minor roster revamp. Gone were veterans Kutch, Mumar, Ladores and Ocariza. They shored up their lineup by bringing in superstar Manny Paner from Great Taste and Lucrecio Dator (formerly Dacula) from Honda. Two rookies, Jose Rillo and Pablo Ocampo, were also recruited. With the Open Conference ushering the 7^th season of the league, CDCP brought in the 6’11 Edmond Lawrence and the 6’10 James Lister (brother of NBA star Alton) to form a twin tower combo. Lister was eventually replaced by Wilkins who came back for a second tour of duty. And like other locals, Obrique found himself wanting for playing time as the minutes were given mostly to the imports. CDCP had a shot at the Final Four but Toyota eventually landed the 4^th slot to join U/Tex, Crispa and San Miguel Beer in the semifinals with the Road Builders wounding up 5^th.

Ben Obrique trying to put the cuffs on Francis Arnaiz

Injury and Disbandment

            In the second and last conference of the year (the PBA gave way to the hosting of the SEA Games to be held on December), the Reinforced, CDCP brought in 6’5 import Ron McCoy. Again, the Road Builders were close to snatching a playoff spot, losing out to the Norman Black-led Tefilin Polyesters for the 6^th and final spot. It also turned out to be Obrique’s final conference as he suffered an injury, twisting his knee in a pre-game warmup against the Tanduay Distillers, after slipping on a wet spot. He was still able to play in the succeeding games, but gradually lost his confidence as he favoured his knee. CDCP finished with a 16-14 card, an exact replica of their performance the previous season.

            Alas, Ben’s last year in his contract had to be rescinded when CDCP disbanded, leaving him with no team. The disbandment resulted when two of their shipping vessels got stuck in the middle of the Persian Gulf where the Iran-Iraq war was at its peak. Finding no takers, Ben decided to retire from the sport and put up a business using his savings as initial capital.

Retirement Days

            With the PBA now history, Obrique set up a seafood trading business exporting to Taiwan with former PSBA teammate Matias. Ben’s job was to deal directly with the fishermen from his hometown province of Mindoro and brought their harvest to Manila. The first class produce was then sent to an export company which brought these to Taiwan. This went on until 1984 when Ben decided to join his father and brother, Romeo, in Long Beach, California, both of whom already migrated to the US since 1978.

            Ben met his wife, the former Emelinda Dumayas in 1982 in Mindoro while playing in local basketball leagues. When Ben left for the US in 1984, his wife was already heavy with their first child, Ronald. They eventually got married in Mindoro Occidental when Ben came back for a vacation in 1986.

            While in Long Beach, Ben got a job from a construction company where his father was also employed, doing various carpentry works. He was employed with the firm for more than 7 years and kept himself fit playing in Filipino community leagues alongside ex pros Dizon, Vargas, Rene Canent, Estoy Estrada and Danny Florencio. He was part of the charity game held a couple of years ago for Rudy Distrito, organized by King, and playing alongside ex-pros including Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz. It was in 1990 when his wife and kids joined him in the US.

            It was in 1991 when Ben was hired as an employee of General Maintenance at Wakunaga of America, a major pharmaceutical company that produces Kyolic, a garlic medicine for those with high blood pressure. He stayed there for 27 years until his retirement last January. His wife continues to work as a manager for a day care center for the elderly at Carson City. Once a year, Ben comes home to check on his properties in Calumpit, Bulacan and visiting relatives and friends.

Personal Musings

         Ben Obrique regards Nic Jorge as his mentor and the man responsible for his basketball success. Jorge liked his toughness who didn’t fear the physicality of the game. While Ben may stand out from the rest because of his unique afro hairdo, his pigeon chest and muscular physique allowed him to endure the difficulties of the game. His work ethic was also legendary – typical of someone who came from humble beginnings wanting to prove a point. He endeared himself to Jorge by giving his all even during practices and following instructions to the letter.

A recent photo with mentor Nic Jorge

            A slight anecdote on Ben’s first two points in his PBA career. As previously mentioned, he scored his first field goal at the expense of no less than Jaworski guarding him. But Ben modestly credited the Big J himself for making that shot. It turned out that at the start of the game, Galleon’s first game in the All Filipino, Jorge inserted him in the starting unit, his first time to start in a PBA game. Prior to the jumpball, Ben was obviously starstruck seeing Jaworski beside him. He was pale and nervous, his fingers clammy, and his body cold. Jaworski pulled his hand prior to the toss, and whispered to him, “easy ka lang bata! Mamaya, patitirahin kita ha?” A couple of plays after, Mumar fed him the ball and with Jaworski guarding him, gave him the space to take an open jumper. The ball swished cleanly to the net, making Jaworski say, “ayan, PBA ka na talaga!” In the ensuing play, Ben scored off Jaworski once more. As Ben ran back for defense, the Big J told him, “oh bata, tama na yan ha, nakaka-dalawa ka na sakin!” As Ben looks back in that amusing episode of his life, he can only be thankful to the Living Legend for giving him the confidence to play in the pro league.

        Among the players that Obrique tried to guard in the PBA, he credits Freddie Hubalde as perhaps the the most difficult to guard. Hubalde, with his myriad of graceful moves, was a class by himself because of his ability to sidestep his defense. Hubalde can also shoot from anywhere, whether using the bank to make a jumpshot or penetrate the interior for an easy layup.

            On the other hand, he regards Johnny Revilla, then playing for Great Taste, as the toughest to have guarded him. Revilla’s physicality and ruggedness made him an intimidating sight, plus his veteran smarts allowed him to read his moves with hardly any difficulty. In the amateur ranks, it was the venerable Boy Arazas that he was worried the most, not knowing what the veteran player would do when Ben would go up for a shot. At that time, undercutting a player was a norm so the offensive player must be ready to protect himself from a hard fall.

            There were two players that Obrique looked up to the most. These were Danny Florencio and Jaworski. Florencio was the player that Obrique tried so hard to emulate the most, particularly his daring drives, his baseline attack and under the basket layup that no one can seem to block. He admired Jaworski for his leadership and courage when playing the game.

            Younger fans would probably want to have an idea of how Obrique played. What was he like? For fans of the 90’s, the first person you can think of is a young Choy Estrada – a heady, physical and intrepid shooting guard of Yeng Guiao for Swift. Like Estrada, Obrique was also fearless when attacking the paint, but he also developed a reliable jumper that allowed him to score from the perimeter. For millennials, perhaps a smaller version of Calvin Abueva who was equally unafraid to mix it up inside while having the knack for snaring the ball despite the lack of size. Obrique was undersized indeed at 5’11, weighing only 164 lbs, but when he was with ITM and Masagana 99, he was utilized by Marquicias and Jorge to play center at times just to match up against the much taller bigs like Ely Capacio and Nat Castillo.

        Had he been given the chance, Ben would have loved to play for Toyota alongside his idol Jaworski. He also believes that his playing style fits the system that Toyota implements. Ben feels that had he played for the Silverio franchise, he would have a longer and more successful PBA career, benefiting from the passes of Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Arnie Tuadles and King.

       Having been based in the US for 35 years now, Obrique follows the NBA like any other basketball fan. His life-long idols are Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics and Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers. His favorite players today are Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Damien Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers – not surprisingly since he used to play the same position as the two. He also admires James Yap of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in today's PBA - getting a chance to see him play on cable TV and the internet. 

Life Today

            In his retirement, Ben dotes on his 6-year old grandchild from his second son, Randolph and his wife, the former Merare Fuentes. He has two children, Ronald, 33 years young, single and based in Las Vegas as a a Doctor of Pharmacology, and Randolph, who’s based also at Long Beach. His constant companions in the US include Robles, Canent, former Tanduay sentinel Totoy Gagan, and former Alaska Milkman Naning Valenciano.

            For more than 44 years, the PBA has given us superstars we looked up to, emulated their styles while playing the game, followed their lives closely as if our own lives depended on these, while remaining passionate to the sport. And then there were the budding stars, the role players, the bench fillers, and those whose names we probably would remember but may not exactly recall how they played or even looked like. But for this writer, stumbling on Robinson Galigao Obrique on that fateful Thursday night last year may have yet been providential. Being fortunate enough to remember not just the name but also his game, this writer cannot help but be thankful for having witnessed his exploits in his relatively short stint in the PBA. The meet-up was, as mentioned, providential as, while not totally deserving, this writer would be in a good position to exactly give credence to the basketball accomplishments of this man.

The writer with Ben Obrique and another PBA legend, Amang Ladores at Vikings MOA

            More than this, the fan in this writer has found a new friend worthy to cherish….