For one, his PBA career is on the upswing. He was FedEx’ first round and third overall pick in the 2004 draft (after Rich Alvarez and James Yap). After playing his first year with the Express, Pingris was traded to Purefoods and tasted his first championship with the Giants in the Philippine Cup last season. Now, he’s a vital cog in the Purefoods machine.
For another, he’s found the love of his life. Pingris says meeting Danica was the best thing that ever happened to him.
And of course, he finally realized his dream of contacting his long-lost French father Jean Marc, Sr.
It was Danica who got father and son together after months of searching with the French embassy’s help.
Pingris, 25, says there were 478 people with his surname in the direc-tory accessed by the embassy. One by one, the embassy contacted the dif-ferent Pingrises by phone until finally, a relative surfaced. One call led to another then, one early mor-ning, Pingris’ father phoned long dis-tance. It was the day when Purefoods played Talk ‘N’ Text in Game 1 of the PBA quarterfinals last Jan. 14 and Pingris was so pumped up that night, he scored 19 points in the Giants’ 89-84 win.
Pingris recalls it was difficult talking to his father for the first time. He was only a baby when his father, who worked in Manila as a consultant for the government’s water systems company, left in 1981. At first, his father called him J. M. for Jean Marc. But as the calls became more frequent, he began calling him "son" and now, they talk often and always end by saying, "I love you."
"I told my father everything about my life, how I used to sleep in the market when I was a boy, how my mother (Erlinda Prado) sacrificed for me, what I’ve achieved as an athlete," says Pingris in Pilipino. "We e-mail and call each other. I’m now learning how to speak French with CDs that Danica got for me. And the French embassy is giving me a French passport."
Like Danica whose mother Dina Bonnevie is of Swiss descent, Pingris will enjoy the privileges of a dual passport holder.
Pingris says his father would’ve flown in for the wedding if not for his work as a manager of a company.
Among the wedding sponsors are Sen. Tito Sotto, Purefoods president Butch Alejo, Purefoods governor Rene Pardo, Purefoods team manager Alvin Patrimonio and teammate Jun Limpot.
If there’s a chance, Pingris says he’ll visit his father and three siblings in France during the offseason. For sure, his father, a car racer by avocation, will come to Manila next year to watch him play.
Honeymoon plans to travel to Switzerland and France will have to wait because the Fiesta Conference starts Sunday. Pingris is listed day-to-day because of a left ankle injury and may not be ready to play until two weeks, says Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio. He’s rehabbing everyday to strengthen his ankle.