Siot ties knot

Barangay Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen won the biggest prize of his life when he walked down the aisle to marry long-time girlfriend Rica Tenedora at the Manila Polo Club in Makati last Saturday.

The wedding day fell on the 7th day of the 8th month. The lucky number 7 figured prominently in Ginebra’s victory in the recent Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference. So it was only fitting that Siot tied the knot with Rica on the 7th day.

Some 150 guests came to celebrate the happy occasion. Sponsors were mainly Chinese relatives and the Tanquingcens’ family friends, said a source who witnessed the Christian rites.

"Siot delivered funny yet very touching vows of love he wrote himself," said a guest.

Sportsman Henry Cojuangco, who was instrumental in picking Siot for the Ginebra coaching job, attended the wedding. Also toasting the happy couple were San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico and assistant Art de la Cruz, Ginebra assistant coach Binky Favis, Aris Dimaunahan, Rodney Santos, Banjo Calpito, Danny Ildefonso, Olsen Racela, Dondon Hontiveros, Patrick Fran, Estong Ballesteros, Samboy Lim and Siot’s high school coach Vicente Chua.

Before Siot joined the University of Santo Tomas (UST) varsity in 1990, he learned the ropes from Chua at the Philippine Cultural High School in Caloocan.

Someone said the shy and low-key coach would never have gotten to know Rica if they weren’t assigned classroom seats next to each other. Fate brought them together because of their surnames. Tanquingcen and Tenedora were back-to-back in the alphabetical arrangement that was used to assign classroom seats. They were accounting classmates at UST.

Although they’ve known each other for 11 years, Siot didn’t seriously court Rica until after graduation.

An insider said Siot was so low-key that Rica’s co-workers in the computer company where she’s employed never realized they were an item until a TV camera focused on her during the recent Fiesta Conference Finals.

To get away from it all, Siot and Rica decided to honeymoon at the Maldives, a romantic island paradise somewhere in the Indian Ocean. That’s how they are. They’d rather go to a place where they don’t bother anyone and nobody knows them. It’s a trait that’s endeared Siot to his players. The modest coach shuns the limelight and is content to work behind the scenes.

Congratulations to Siot and Rica, a championship team.

* * *

University of the Philippines vice president and professor Martin Gregorio texted this observation on the recent Danny Williams-Mike Tyson heavyweight fight:

"I wanted 2 fnd out f Tyson can stil rise fr d grave. Almost did. He should hve tken adv of refs abmnable inefciency. Napulot lng yata yun sa barangay boxng cntst. I agre w u."

Gregorio, incidentally, is the father of tourism guru Patrick, Purefoods coach Ryan and FedEx sports director and hoops broadcast analyst Allan.

* * *

Dan Saracin, a Master’s in Business Management 1983 graduate of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and executive director of the Alumni Association 2003-04, sent this text:

"I am here nw at AIM lib reading ur impartiality is key 2 credibility. U r an honor 2 d alum assn. Carry on."

Dan referred to an article that was published in the anniversary issue of The Star last July 28.

* * *

Mikko Abella of Faith.Basketball texted this message:

"Jst want 2 thank u agn. Ppl hav been txtng & emailing 2 show support. Also, Bong Ravena of talk n txt visited Jay-R at PGH. God bless."

Mikkos’ Faith.Basketball group has tied up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and is raising funds to make Philippine General Hospital indigent patient Jay-R Mingao’s dream come true.

Mingao, 19, is suffering from rheumatic heart disease. His family lives inside a Parañaque public cemetery. Mingao’s favorite team is Talk ‘N’ Text. Now bedridden, Jay-R dreams of a basketball court near where he lives for kids to play on.

Faith. Basketball plans to construct a basketball court somewhere near the cemetery and dedicate it to Mingao.