Birthday Greeting to Sir Bonel Balingit ( Nov 30 )

Despite realizing his dream of becoming a player of the highly-successful Philippine Basketball Association . (PBA) behemoth Bonel Balingit could not hide his disappointment on how things turned in his career. In his first two years with the Swift Hotdogs which drafted him in the second round of the 1992 draft, Bonel was a pitiful sight inside the court as he rode the bench more often than not as if his skills and athleticism were not suited for the pro league. He was a big flop indeed, a dud, and some heartless fans even went below the belt in tagging his as the "Swift Hotdogs Mascot." But Bonel went flop and dud not because he was a real flop or dud but mainly because he was not given the opportunity to prove his real worth. "Masakit sa akin iyon, biro mo kukunin ka para lang umupo, ma-bench. Ipapasok ka rin minsan pero wala pang two minutes ilalabas ka na. Siyempre nawawalan na ako ng kumpiyansa sa sarili ko, "decried Bonel.

For Bonel, his first two years in the PBA was a nightmare, a bitter experience he would rather forget. Things however turned rosy for this gian of Capatagan, Lanao del Norte late las year. At the end of the 1993 season wher his contract with the Concepcion franchise was set to expire, there were reports ther Ginebra San Miguel playing coach Rober Jaworski was interested in acquiring his services. If Bonel had his way, he would rather transfer to the Gins camp than negotiate for a fresh contract with Swift. He knew that at Ginebra, he would be given handsome playing time, an opportunity he has been longing for. Swift however offered him a one-year extention with a slight increase in pay plus the previlege of having a tutor at Swift's expense.