Remembering Emilio Chuatico (+) on his birthday ( Feb 22 )

EMILIO Chuatico, Jr., skipper of the Philippine team that regained the basketball championship during the 16th Southeast Asian Games held in Manila last year, is mighty glad to have joined Ginebra San Miguel in this, the 18th season of the PBA, all because he believes that with the Gins he would be getting ample playing time. People frowned when Chuatico became the lone amateur draftee of Ginebra. Those close to him said Chuatico was better off with other teams considering the salary he could fetch being a former national player. It was the notion of many that Ginebra couldn't offer lucrative salaries. But financial compensation meant little for Nonoy, as he is fondly called by friends. What he was interested most was playing alongside idol Robert Jaworski and getting his fair share of hardcourt exposure. "I'm really happy to play with Jaworski because I know I'll learn a lot from him. And besides, had I gone to other teams, I wouldn't get as much playing time. Look at Allen Sasan, he's getting nowhere with Alaska. Guys like Stevenson Solomon and Joselito Escobar aren't given much exposure either. At least, with Ginebra, I'm given the opportunity to log quality minutes," he said.  People say that Chuatico, a big guard at 6-1, has the makings of another Jaworski. "Huwag naman. I don't like to think of it that way. Jaworski's shoes are too big to fill. I have no illusions of becoming another Jaworski." Truth of the matter is, Chuatico never dreamed of making it to the PBA. He had left basketball completely after finishing a course in Business Management at Ateneo in 1988. In his final stint with the Eagles in 1988, he was voted Most Valuable Player after converting a three-point shot beating the buzzer lifting Ateneo past Southwestern University in the finals. He decided he had enough of basketball. Although Magnolia was offering him a one-year contract in the PBL, he declined. Instead, he went to Tagaytay to work on lettuce and coffee farm of former Ateneo manager Ernesto Escaler. "I admire the guy. When I was playing for Ateneo, I had already signed a shortterm contract with Magnolia and was receiving monthly stipends. But after two months, Mr. Escaler told me to quit so that I could concentrate on playing for the Eagles. He paid my scholarship." Nonoy spent two years on the farm and almost forgot all about basketball until one day in 1989 when, while watching a PBA game, he was approached by San Miguel officials who prodded him to return to the basketball scene. He agreed and was quickly signed up by Magnolia. "Of course