Time for payback

For 11 seasons, Lim Eng Beng thrilled PBA fans with his extraordinary hardcourt skills. He was a sharpshooter not unlike Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev, immortalized in the film “Enemy at the Gates.” Beng had a deft touch from the outside, the ball invariably spinning into the hoop with a flick of his wrist. During his La Salle years, the Green Archer gallery would burst into applause even before Beng went to the line for free throws because there was little chance of missing.

Although he could afford to spend frivolously as a PBA star, Beng never strayed from living a simple life. He wasn’t the type to splurge on a whim. Beng came from humble beginnings and worked hard to give his family a comfortable home that he didn’t enjoy as a boy.

Today, the 61-year-old Beng is in dire straits, stricken by cancer and unable to pay for the one treatment that could save his life – a liver transplant. He was recently brought to the De La Salle Medical Center in Dasmariñas, Cavite, for tests with the support of alumnus Manny Herbosa who serves in the Board of Trustees.

Beng went bankrupt after he lost his trucking business when his brother died. “We had a fleet of about 10 trucks,” he related. “When my brother died, his wife took over the business and I was left with nothing. I never had a written contract showing my ownership as I trusted my brother. For about seven years from 1995 to 2002, I was jobless. I still don’t know how my family managed to survive during those hard times.”

Beng resigned from his work as a supervisor at Rain Or Shine last month because of his illness and will likely quit his position as head coach of the basketball varsity of his high school alma mater Chiang Kai Shek. Luckily, his three children are now employed after graduating from La Salle. Brian, 31, works with Metrobank while Erin, 25, is employed by BDO and Ervin, 24, by Nokia. Keeping Beng company at the Dasmariñas hospital is wife Eleanor whom he married in 1980.

One of eight children, Beng was raised in the slums of Moriones in Tondo. His parents were migrants from China. “I come from a poor family and basketball was my living,” he said. “We were eight brothers and sisters and now, only four are alive. I can’t rely on anyone because they’re just making enough for their families.”

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Beng led La Salle to the NCAA senior men’s basketball titles in 1971 and 1974. Among his teammates on the 1971 championship squad were Miguel Bilbao, Alex Malixi, Dindo Guevara, Julee Lim, Pitloy Mirasol and Doy Escober. Lim died in a car accident in Vancouver while Escober passed away in Los Angeles due to meningitis.

Beng’s teammates in 1974 included Virgil Villavicencio, Peter Ley, Dennis Gonzales, Sonny Dizon and Billy Johnston. Beng erupted for 55 points in a game against Letran and powered the Archers’ 7-0 start en route to defeating Ateneo, 90-80, for the 1974 crown. He averaged 32 points that season. Beng played in 11 PBA seasons with Carrier, U-Tex, San Miguel Beer, Crispa and Manila Beer until 1986. He was named one of the PBA’s 25 greatest players in 2000.

Friends and relatives are now trying to raise P3 Million for Beng’s liver transplant. La Salle alumnus and Filoil Flying V chief executive officer Raffy Villavicencio recently came up with the idea of selling season tickets at P10,000 apiece for the coming eighth staging of the Filoil Flying V basketball tournament for men, juniors and women. Villavicencio said all the proceeds will be given to Beng. It will take 300 season tickets sold to raise P3 Million.

The Filoil Flying V tournament was initially known as the Homegrown Invitational Cup in 2006. A year later, the competition was renamed the Filoil Flying V preseason tournament gathering schools primarily from the UAAP and NCAA to test their mettle against each other before the leagues begin hostilities. La Salle won the first two editions then was followed, in order, by UE, FEU, San Sebastian, Ateneo and NU.

This year, CESAFI champion Southwestern University will join the cast of 18 in the men’s division. Other schools in the men’s category are San Beda, Perpetual Help, NU, FEU, UP, Arellano, St. Benilde, Jose Rizal, Adamson, Ateneo, La Salle, UST, UE, San Sebastian, Letran, Lyceum and Emilio Aguinaldo. The games begin on April 13 with the quarterfinals set on June 3 and the finals on June 12. Among the coaches making their debut with new schools are FEU’s Nash Racela, San Beda’s Boyet Fernandez, Ateneo’s Bo Perasol, Letran’s Caloy Garcia and St. Benilde’s Gabby Velasco.

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Villavicencio’s call for assistance isn’t just directed to La Salle graduates. It’s for basketball fans in general, regardless of school or team loyalty. As a player, Beng was a hero not only for La Salle or U-Tex or Crispa but also for the entire sports community. He symbolized the role-model athlete who played according to the rules, respected authority, sacrificed long hours in the gym and never raised a howl even if sometimes, a call against him was unjustified.

Even in financial difficulty, Beng refused to bother friends and relatives. Once, for a school gathering at the Manila Polo Club, he took public transportation and was about to walk from the corner of EDSA and Ayala Avenue to the Forbes Park facility when a friend happened to pass by and offered a lift. When his children wanted to watch a La Salle game in the UAAP, Beng was embarrassed to approach the alumni office for tickets. It was never his style to impose on others.

Now, it’s time for payback. Beng needs help. For all the wonderful memories he created for fans as a player, we owe it to him to return the favor. Beng is fighting for his life. Let’s join him in his battle. Let’s not leave him alone. The game is far from over; let’s all be counted as players on Beng’s team.