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LAST PART: (1995 - 2012)
1995 – Vergel Meneses (Sunkist)
Sunkist was close to a grandslam this season with the overall brilliance of Vergel Meneses. They fell short, losing the Governor’s Cup to Alaska, who defeated SMB in the Finals. Yet, no one will argue the dominance of Vergel Meneses this season. He not only topped the statistical race, he was way ahead of the rest. Meneses collaborated well with head coach Derrick Pumaren as he churned out a memorable performance that endeared him to basketball fans.
1996 – Johnny Abarrientos (Alaska)
The Alaska grandslam year. The Aces’ Big Three were the frontrunners for the MVP title. All three were equally deserving, but eventually, the plum went to their quarterback, Johnny Abarrientos. The Flying A was credited for being the glue that held the complicated triangle offense of Tim Cone and executed this in full perfection. More than this, it was his on-court leadership that earned him the nod over his more senior teammates.
1997 – Alvin Patrimonio (Purefoods)
Alvin Patrimonio’s 4th and final MVP award, tying him with his idol Fernandez with the most number of MVP’s in league history. His biggest rivals were Marlou Aquino of Gordon’s Gin and Nelson Asaytono of SMB. Aquino was credited for his overpowering Commissioner’s Cup Finals performance, dominating import Kevin Holland, to lead the Boars to the title. Asaytono, on the other hand, was the scoring king that season and practically led the Beermen by his lonesome to two third place finishes. But Patrimonio was the catalyst behind Purefoods’ AFC conquest at the expense of the Boars, a fact that wasn’t lost to the sports scribes who voted for him even if Asaytono was the top stats man.
1998 – Kenneth Duremdes (Alaska)
Another impressive Alaska season, winning the first two championships before yielding the final conference as their key players and coach represented the country in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. This was the year that saw the blossoming of Kenneth Duremdes as a full-fledged superstar after serving as backup to Vergel Meneses in his first two seasons with Sunkist. Duremdes won the MVP title with plenty to spare in undisputed fashion.
1999 – Venancio Paras, Jr. (Shell)
The influx of athletic Fil-Fors was the headline for the season. But equally more compelling was how only rookie-MVP Benjie Paras resurrected his game to lead the homegrown talents against the Fil-Fors. By the end of the season, Paras came a surprising 3rd in the stats race, behind league leaders, rookies Sonny Alvarado and Danny Seigle. Come balloting time, Paras, after powering Shell to the AFC title, ended up as the MVP, preserving his legacy as the only rookie to win MVP honors. Those who voted for Paras may have romanticized the idea of preserving this rare accomplishment as no one has approximated this yet. Many would still argue, though, that this was the most controversial MVP selection since 1989, the same year Paras won his first title.
2000 – Danny Ildefonso (San Miguel)
With SMB winning two conferences this season, it was logical to see a Beerman winning the MVP award. The question is – which Beerman? More specifically, which Danny? Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle led a twin charge for SMB as they played beautiful music together. In the end, it was Ildefonso who copped the MVP plum. Critics argued however that Seigle was more deserving but lost out to avoid the Fil-For issue that was already growing in controversy.
2001 – Danny Ildefonso (San Miguel)
Another controversial year that could have gone to either of the two Danny’s. SMB won the AFC title and placed runner-up in the two import-laced ones. With practically a deadlock in the stats race, the voters opted to give it to Demolition Danny instead of Dynamite Danny. Interesting because Seigle could have easily won 3 MVP titles in a row since joining the league in 1999. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
2002 – Willie Miller (Red Bull)
With 24 of the best players suiting up for the national pool and making up the Selecta and Hapee national teams, the MVP race somewhat became diluted. In the end, two Red Bull players disputed the plum – Davon Harp and Willie Miller. Harp, a shoo-in for the 12-man national team, begged off because of personal problems. After a conference with Hapee, he helped power Red Bull to the Commissoner’s Cup title. But while he may have been ahead in the race, the MVP went to the very popular Miller presumably again because of the Fil-Sham issue.
2003 – Paul Asi Taulava (Talk N’ Text)
With the Fil-Sham issue continuing to linger, it was evident that for a Fil-For to win a MVP title, he had to be dominating. Taulava did just that, powered TNT to the AFC title and placed 3rd in the Reinforced. Taulava’s victory was practically assured as early as the playoffs of the 3rd Conference because of the huge stats lead he erected against runner-up Rudy Hatfield. In the end, Taulava, typical of his game, dominated everyone to win his first and only MVP title.
2004-05 – Eric Menk (Barangay Ginebra)
With Ginebra winning the transition conference and the Philippine Cup, the obvious MVP would obviously go to the team’s best player. And at that time, it was Eric Menk who was the franchise go-to-guy. Menk played consistently all throughout the year but raised his game further in the playoffs to unquestionably win the MVP title that season.
2005-06 – James Yap (Purefoods)
The year when Kerby Raymundo immortalized the line, “AKO ANG TUNAY NA MVP!” This was said for the Best Player of the Conference award that went to Enrico Villanueva of Red Bull. At the end of the season, Raymundo’s teammate, James Yap was ahead of the stats race, followed closely by The Kid. Yap eventually won MVP honors in controversial fashion as reports of then Yap’s wife, Kris Aquino, influenced certain voters to cast their vote for Yap. But with an AFC title in his belt and ahead of the stats race, it wasn’t totally unconvincing. Yet, the PBA after this season, discarded the cumulative statistical race to avoid favoring players who played more games. Instead, the averaging system took effect the season after.
2006-07 – Willie Miller (Alaska)
Another year that saw the Top 12 players to join the national team. And in such a scenario, expect Willie Miller to thrive in this. Now playing for the Alaska Aces, Miller’s dazzling playing and clutch ways while leading the statistical race was more than enough to power him to the MVP title. Had there not been a FIBA-Asia tournament held though, critics argued that Mark Caguioa would have deservedly won the title that season, especially on account of Ginebra’s winning the AFC.
2007-08 – Kelly Williams (Sta. Lucia)
With Sta. Lucia finally ending its “all-homegrown” roster policy the season before, they finally got a roster that was young enough to backstop veterans Dennis Espino, Marlou Aquino and Paolo Mendoza. Williams led the charge alongside Joseph Yeo and Ryan Reyes to power the Realtors to its first All Filipino title in franchise history. It was a dominating season for Williams who was the league’s top rebounder and one of the leading scorers by the end of the season, a deserving MVP winner indeed.
2008-09 – Anthony “JJ” Helterbrand (Barangay Ginebra)
Controversy arose when Helterbrand’s name was announced as MVP. Many felt that Mark Cardona did just enough to win the title. And considering that TNT won the Philippine Cup and Ginebra didn’t win a title, fans felt that Helterbrand’s victory came at Cardona’s expense. No one can deny though that Helterbrand stepped up big time that season during the period when Mark Caguioa was in the injured list and Eric Menk was already a shadow of his old self.
2009-10 – James Yap (Purefoods)
With all the controversies that surrounded Yap’s 2005 MVP title, this one was generally peaceful and well-received. Purefoods swept Alaska in the Finals, 4-0, winning the Finals MVP in the process. And while Alaska won the Fiesta Conference, Yap was way ahead in the stats race against the Aces’ Tenorio and Thoss. Yap’s chief rival was Arwind Santos, who by this time, was already a consistent MVP contender.
2010-11 – Jimmy Alapag (Talk N’ Text)
Here was a case of whether the MVP should come from the most successful team or was individually the best player that year. When the MVP award was handed out, the voters looked at the former, as TNT’s Alapag had two out of the three titles disputed. His main rivals were Santos of Petron and Mark Caguioa of Ginebra – two players who were ahead of Alapag in the stats race. Critics also questioned Alapag’s choice as they felt he wasn’t even TNT’s best player, referring to Jayson Castro instead. But Alapag’s leadership and overall court generalship while proving to be a clutch player helped him earn the collective nods of the media.
2011-12 – Mark Caguioa (Barangay Ginebra)
Having experienced missing the MVP award twice, Caguioa arrived in the awarding ceremonies knowing the possible heartache of not being named as one. Gary David was on top of the stats heap while Arwind Santos remained to be a top contender. None of these three though, won a title, making James Yap of B-Meg a prohibitive favorite. In the end though, Caguioa finally nailed his first MVP title that made millions of Ginebra fans extremely happy. Deserving or not, it was indeed a popular victory for The Spark who could have won the MVP award the season before.
Jay Mercado
LAST PART: (1995 - 2012)
1995 – Vergel Meneses (Sunkist)
Sunkist was close to a grandslam this season with the overall brilliance of Vergel Meneses. They fell short, losing the Governor’s Cup to Alaska, who defeated SMB in the Finals. Yet, no one will argue the dominance of Vergel Meneses this season. He not only topped the statistical race, he was way ahead of the rest. Meneses collaborated well with head coach Derrick Pumaren as he churned out a memorable performance that endeared him to basketball fans.
1996 – Johnny Abarrientos (Alaska)
The Alaska grandslam year. The Aces’ Big Three were the frontrunners for the MVP title. All three were equally deserving, but eventually, the plum went to their quarterback, Johnny Abarrientos. The Flying A was credited for being the glue that held the complicated triangle offense of Tim Cone and executed this in full perfection. More than this, it was his on-court leadership that earned him the nod over his more senior teammates.
1997 – Alvin Patrimonio (Purefoods)
Alvin Patrimonio’s 4th and final MVP award, tying him with his idol Fernandez with the most number of MVP’s in league history. His biggest rivals were Marlou Aquino of Gordon’s Gin and Nelson Asaytono of SMB. Aquino was credited for his overpowering Commissioner’s Cup Finals performance, dominating import Kevin Holland, to lead the Boars to the title. Asaytono, on the other hand, was the scoring king that season and practically led the Beermen by his lonesome to two third place finishes. But Patrimonio was the catalyst behind Purefoods’ AFC conquest at the expense of the Boars, a fact that wasn’t lost to the sports scribes who voted for him even if Asaytono was the top stats man.
1998 – Kenneth Duremdes (Alaska)
Another impressive Alaska season, winning the first two championships before yielding the final conference as their key players and coach represented the country in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. This was the year that saw the blossoming of Kenneth Duremdes as a full-fledged superstar after serving as backup to Vergel Meneses in his first two seasons with Sunkist. Duremdes won the MVP title with plenty to spare in undisputed fashion.
1999 – Venancio Paras, Jr. (Shell)
The influx of athletic Fil-Fors was the headline for the season. But equally more compelling was how only rookie-MVP Benjie Paras resurrected his game to lead the homegrown talents against the Fil-Fors. By the end of the season, Paras came a surprising 3rd in the stats race, behind league leaders, rookies Sonny Alvarado and Danny Seigle. Come balloting time, Paras, after powering Shell to the AFC title, ended up as the MVP, preserving his legacy as the only rookie to win MVP honors. Those who voted for Paras may have romanticized the idea of preserving this rare accomplishment as no one has approximated this yet. Many would still argue, though, that this was the most controversial MVP selection since 1989, the same year Paras won his first title.
2000 – Danny Ildefonso (San Miguel)
With SMB winning two conferences this season, it was logical to see a Beerman winning the MVP award. The question is – which Beerman? More specifically, which Danny? Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle led a twin charge for SMB as they played beautiful music together. In the end, it was Ildefonso who copped the MVP plum. Critics argued however that Seigle was more deserving but lost out to avoid the Fil-For issue that was already growing in controversy.
2001 – Danny Ildefonso (San Miguel)
Another controversial year that could have gone to either of the two Danny’s. SMB won the AFC title and placed runner-up in the two import-laced ones. With practically a deadlock in the stats race, the voters opted to give it to Demolition Danny instead of Dynamite Danny. Interesting because Seigle could have easily won 3 MVP titles in a row since joining the league in 1999. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
2002 – Willie Miller (Red Bull)
With 24 of the best players suiting up for the national pool and making up the Selecta and Hapee national teams, the MVP race somewhat became diluted. In the end, two Red Bull players disputed the plum – Davon Harp and Willie Miller. Harp, a shoo-in for the 12-man national team, begged off because of personal problems. After a conference with Hapee, he helped power Red Bull to the Commissoner’s Cup title. But while he may have been ahead in the race, the MVP went to the very popular Miller presumably again because of the Fil-Sham issue.
2003 – Paul Asi Taulava (Talk N’ Text)
With the Fil-Sham issue continuing to linger, it was evident that for a Fil-For to win a MVP title, he had to be dominating. Taulava did just that, powered TNT to the AFC title and placed 3rd in the Reinforced. Taulava’s victory was practically assured as early as the playoffs of the 3rd Conference because of the huge stats lead he erected against runner-up Rudy Hatfield. In the end, Taulava, typical of his game, dominated everyone to win his first and only MVP title.
2004-05 – Eric Menk (Barangay Ginebra)
With Ginebra winning the transition conference and the Philippine Cup, the obvious MVP would obviously go to the team’s best player. And at that time, it was Eric Menk who was the franchise go-to-guy. Menk played consistently all throughout the year but raised his game further in the playoffs to unquestionably win the MVP title that season.
2005-06 – James Yap (Purefoods)
The year when Kerby Raymundo immortalized the line, “AKO ANG TUNAY NA MVP!” This was said for the Best Player of the Conference award that went to Enrico Villanueva of Red Bull. At the end of the season, Raymundo’s teammate, James Yap was ahead of the stats race, followed closely by The Kid. Yap eventually won MVP honors in controversial fashion as reports of then Yap’s wife, Kris Aquino, influenced certain voters to cast their vote for Yap. But with an AFC title in his belt and ahead of the stats race, it wasn’t totally unconvincing. Yet, the PBA after this season, discarded the cumulative statistical race to avoid favoring players who played more games. Instead, the averaging system took effect the season after.
2006-07 – Willie Miller (Alaska)
Another year that saw the Top 12 players to join the national team. And in such a scenario, expect Willie Miller to thrive in this. Now playing for the Alaska Aces, Miller’s dazzling playing and clutch ways while leading the statistical race was more than enough to power him to the MVP title. Had there not been a FIBA-Asia tournament held though, critics argued that Mark Caguioa would have deservedly won the title that season, especially on account of Ginebra’s winning the AFC.
2007-08 – Kelly Williams (Sta. Lucia)
With Sta. Lucia finally ending its “all-homegrown” roster policy the season before, they finally got a roster that was young enough to backstop veterans Dennis Espino, Marlou Aquino and Paolo Mendoza. Williams led the charge alongside Joseph Yeo and Ryan Reyes to power the Realtors to its first All Filipino title in franchise history. It was a dominating season for Williams who was the league’s top rebounder and one of the leading scorers by the end of the season, a deserving MVP winner indeed.
2008-09 – Anthony “JJ” Helterbrand (Barangay Ginebra)
Controversy arose when Helterbrand’s name was announced as MVP. Many felt that Mark Cardona did just enough to win the title. And considering that TNT won the Philippine Cup and Ginebra didn’t win a title, fans felt that Helterbrand’s victory came at Cardona’s expense. No one can deny though that Helterbrand stepped up big time that season during the period when Mark Caguioa was in the injured list and Eric Menk was already a shadow of his old self.
2009-10 – James Yap (Purefoods)
With all the controversies that surrounded Yap’s 2005 MVP title, this one was generally peaceful and well-received. Purefoods swept Alaska in the Finals, 4-0, winning the Finals MVP in the process. And while Alaska won the Fiesta Conference, Yap was way ahead in the stats race against the Aces’ Tenorio and Thoss. Yap’s chief rival was Arwind Santos, who by this time, was already a consistent MVP contender.
2010-11 – Jimmy Alapag (Talk N’ Text)
Here was a case of whether the MVP should come from the most successful team or was individually the best player that year. When the MVP award was handed out, the voters looked at the former, as TNT’s Alapag had two out of the three titles disputed. His main rivals were Santos of Petron and Mark Caguioa of Ginebra – two players who were ahead of Alapag in the stats race. Critics also questioned Alapag’s choice as they felt he wasn’t even TNT’s best player, referring to Jayson Castro instead. But Alapag’s leadership and overall court generalship while proving to be a clutch player helped him earn the collective nods of the media.
2011-12 – Mark Caguioa (Barangay Ginebra)
Having experienced missing the MVP award twice, Caguioa arrived in the awarding ceremonies knowing the possible heartache of not being named as one. Gary David was on top of the stats heap while Arwind Santos remained to be a top contender. None of these three though, won a title, making James Yap of B-Meg a prohibitive favorite. In the end though, Caguioa finally nailed his first MVP title that made millions of Ginebra fans extremely happy. Deserving or not, it was indeed a popular victory for The Spark who could have won the MVP award the season before.
Jay Mercado
Last edited by supladita_28 on Wed Jan 23, 2013 5:09 pm; edited 1 time in total
