A chat with Mhel Garrido, the real Aga Muhlach

Rick: Congratulations on the STI Olympians winning their first NAASCU title. Looks like you guys did some prime recruiting for the campaign. Who did you snag from the NCAA teams?

Mhel: The STI College Olympians - our primary goal then is to create a buzz and be known, then if things go right create a system to make STI a team that can be competitive in years to come. We are really so surprised that we achieved our first goal in the first three years of the Olympians. Our team was formed 7/10/2004 barely three weeks before the 4th NAASCU opened. We placed 8th out of 9 that year and then made a turn around by placing 2nd for two years. Finally we got the monkey off our backs by winning it all this year. We are lucky we got a lot of help by acquiring players from schools that played in the UAAP & NCAA to beef up our line up, but it was the overall team game that led us to the championship. After two runner-up finishes we saw that the team lacked maturity and killer instinct that is why when the opportunity to get Raymond Tiongco from Mapua came along, we never looked back. Tiongco like the STI system and he brought along Darryl Mendoza from Perpetual and his good friend Mark Balneg who has one year left for Letran to join the team. Howard Flor from NU was a welcome bonus as he joined the team last June when the league age requirement of 25 yrs old was given another shot for one more year.

We envision the next three years as purely laying down the groundwork of a nationwide recruitment system that will take us to other parts of the country to scout players. Since hindi pa final ang other parts of the plan I will just inform you as time goes by.

Rick: How tough was it going against perennial title contender University of Manila?

Mhel: Honestly speaking, at the start of the season we were focused on beating archrival and defending champion AMA Computer University. Winning over 5 time NAASCU Champion UM was icing on the cake for we were the only school that beat them in a finals. Our preparations start every November by joining the Fr. Martin's Cup coz the best schools in the land play there and I want my boys to play against the best to be able to get used to playing at top level. That led us to beat FEU and UST in the Champions League.

Rick: I understand you put together a lot of the events for STI, do you still have time to watch the Ateneo games? If not how do you keep track of them?

Mhel: Besides being the team manager of the Olympians and the STI all star dance team, I also I run the national events of STI namely the STI Anniversary which attracts 15000 STI students in a one day event at Star City and the STI NAtional Youth COnvention which brings together 30000 STI Students from 8 sites in the philippines nationwide. I also handle a lot of STI merchandise. this year alone my department sold 50000 t shirts! Come first semester August is my busiest monthe while november to February is the busiest for me during the second semester. I get info about the Blue Eagles online.

Rick: You work for a company with several La Sallians in top management, how do you take the ribbing when we lost to the Greenies?

Mhel: There are 3 VPs in our company who come from DLSU, we talk about Ateneo and La Salle programs and people but do not kid around me regarding basketball or Ateneo-DLSU or even bash Ateneo because they get the wrath of God when I retaliate. For me, VP or not VP when you bash my alma mater, sorry na lang because you will suddenly realize that a lot more bashing will follow.

Rick: You were with the Blue Babble Battalion during those years when Ateneo finally asserted itself in the UAAP. Aside from the obvious short shorts, how different is it now? What was your most memorable moment with the BBB? Were you there when the mascot (I believe this was then Olongapo Mayor Dick Gordon's eagle) died after the halftime performance?

Mhel: We were just 17 cheerleaders then, I believe we laid down the foundation of what the Male Cheerleaders are right now. The difference now is that the BBB is bigger with the girls etc. Unfortunately we are not the trendsetters anymore but the ones that follow routine in the UAAP. Good thing though that the attendance has soared once more. My most memorable moment was being the back up to Senator Raul Manglapus when he cheered on court the Fabilioh during the halftime of the 1987 Ateneo vs. UE championship. Yes I watched the game when the eagle died but was not involved with the BBB then. Ikinuwento na lang sa akin.

Rick: What's the toughest thing about being an Ateneo Blue Eagle fan?

Mhel: At the end of the day, the toughest thing for an Ateneo fan is accepting defeat. As a fan you give your all and support in watching games. Next to the players us fans are the second most exhausted so losing brings your spirits down. But like what I mentioned in Halikinu Radio, the 90s or the Ateneo basketball dark ages really toughened me. In our loss to the Tigers last year I said okay lang yan, in the 90's I ate breakfast with those defeats!