All about heart

A limited edition 2014 MVP calendar was produced by Smart Sports and it’s a commemorative tribute to the Gilas national basketball team. Only 500 calendars were made, making each a collector’s item since they were given only to specific individuals. The calendars are neither for sale nor available to the public.

Luckily, I was able to get three calendars which will be given away as prizes in a contest. Since the calendar’s theme is “puso,” the contest will be about “puso.”  Just express what “puso” means to you, with reference to Gilas, in a sentence and post in my instagram account @therealdeanquinito. Senders of the best three most meaningful, creative and moving posts win a calendar each. Posts must be sent only up to tomorrow, Wednesday, 5 p.m. Winners will be announced in this Friday’s column.

The calendar was printed on glossy hard paper and contains 14 pages, one for each month, a cover page with action poses of every Gilas player and this quote from coach Chot Reyes “Fighting till you can fight no more. For a cause bigger than yourself. With all your heart. Laban. Pilipinas. Puso!” and a back page with a 2015 calendar over backdrop pictures of PLDT chairman and SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan and the gallery cheering during the FIBA-Asia Championships last year and the Gilas team on the podium after receiving silver medals joined by Maynilad president and SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas and FIBA-Asia secretary-general Hagop Khajirian. The pages are loose leaves and fit into a hard plastic standee, provided in the kit, to display on a desk or shelf.

Each month shows logos of different MVP companies – PLDT, Smart, Philex, Maynilad, Metro Pacific, TV5, Sun Cellular, Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center, Davao Doctors Hospital, Lourdes Hospital, Tollways Management, Outback, Burger King and ePLDT. The PBA logo is on the January page, the FIBA 3x3 logo in May, the FIBA-Asia logo in June and the FIBA World Cup logo for the other months. Every page has the tag line “Pilipinas. Isang Puso. Isang Laban.”

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On the January page is a quote from Jimmy Alapag: “Puso for me is something that comes from a deep place within oneself. It allows our mind and body to focus, compete and thrive at a level beyond our normal limits to achieve ultimate success.” There are pictures of Ryan Reyes, Kelly Williams and Harvey Carey in action with Talk ‘N’ Text.

The February page has a quote from Jeff Chan: “Puso is realizing what you want and where you want to be. Doing everything you can and giving it all to get there.” Chan is shown playing for Gilas. For March, Larry Fonacier is quoted as saying “Puso is breaking the limitations people have set for you and achieving dreams they never thought were possible.” Fonacier is shown taking a left-handed layup over a Taiwan defender.

L. A. Tenorio’s quote is on the April page, saying “Puso – it’s our heart’s desire that fuels the game. That is – passion, hard work, for love of the country, family and for the love of the game.” Tenorio and Alapag are shown on the page. For May, Gabe Norwood is quoted as saying “Heart is leaving everything you have on the court for the better of the team and country.” The FIBA 3x3 logo is shown with pictures of Thirdy Ravena and Kobe Paras who represented the country in the U-18 FIBA-Asia and World 3x3 tournaments last year.

Gary David’s quote “Puso, tapang at handang lumaban para sa bayan” is on the June page with pictures of the Philippine U-16 team that took second in the FIBA-Asia tournament last year. For July, MVP himself is quoted as saying “At the very heart of each success is passion – passion for your family, your work for basketball. Passion makes you overcome a dearth of resources and hurdle the barriers to life. Its power indeed cannot be underestimated. Go Gilas! Puso.” MVP’s birthday is on July 14. Pictures of David and Norwood are shown.

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Marc Pingris is featured on the August page with his quote “Puso – pagmamahal sa oportunidad na binigay sa iyo para sa mag-sakripisyo, lumaban at magbigay karangalan sa bansa.” For September, Ranidel de Ocampo uses ‘Puso” as an acronym – Pride, Unity, Sacrifice, Opportunity. De Ocampo is shown taking a hook shot for Gilas.

It’s Marcus Douthit’s turn to speak on the October page, saying “Puso means to me that we all are one and one for all, meaning that we carry the burden of every man, woman and child that was born or raised as a Filipino or has the heart of one. It is an eternal strength that only a true Filipino has and comes out when all the odds are against us.” Jayson Castro is quoted on the November page saying “Puso – karapatan at oportunidad para ipaglaban ang bansang Pilipinas.” Castro is shown taking a layup off Korean star Eric Sandrin. For December, JuneMar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar are featured. Fajardo’s quote is “Puso for me is will and dedication” while Aguilar’s quote is “Puso alam mo dehado ka pero patuloy kang lumalaban para sa bansang Pilipinas.”

Maynilad senior vice president and PBA governor for Talk ‘N’ Text Patrick Gregorio said the MVP calendar is an annual project of Smart Sports. “MVP himself approves it, from the design to the size of the calendar,” he said. “He distributes the calendar to dear friends, the PBA, top execs of the MVP Group, it even reaches First Pacific in Hong Kong.”