MANILA, Philippines—Emceeing one of the PBA awards shows in the ’80s, the late Joe Cantada pointed to the rafters and told the audience, “Kayo ang PBA! (You are the PBA),” acknowledging that the lifeblood of the league is its fans.

Last Sunday, I sat with them in the Upper A section of the Araneta Coliseum for the PBA-KFC Philippine Cup wild-card knockout game between Air21 and San Miguel Beer. It’s been something I’ve been putting off, not having watched a PBA game from a fan’s perspective for some time.

A few older PBA diehards noticed me upstairs but they were outnumbered by younger fans who never saw me cover the pro game on TV in the ’80s and ’90s. So I was basically left to myself to roam the tier and get a feel of the fans’ pulse.

A good-sized weekend crowd bucked the fatigue of the holiday season and the resumption of work on Monday to fill the ringside, lower level and a large part of the Upper A and B sections. To those who haven’t been to the Big Dome in years, General Admission is still very much around but is cordoned off closer to the ceiling now. Part of what you once knew as the bleachers has been made into Upper B.

The prices are affordable, with a GA seat for P15 and the Upper B seats for P25. Along with Upper A, there are no assigned seats for the tickets and one can choose where to enjoy the game. There is a good view from everywhere up there, with the huge scoreboard visible from every angle. Fans follow the flow of the game and enjoy the instant replays that are hooked to the live TV coverage.

The upper level crowd was mostly male, with a few girlfriends and wives as dates. There were kids with their parents, amazed to see their hoop idols in the flesh. I recalled what my mother did four decades ago when she brought my brother and me to the Rizal Coliseum for three opening-day MICAA games. Basketball watching is great family bonding time as well.

I met Joel Baldona, a 31-year-old San Miguel fan from the Blumentritt public market area in Sta. Cruz, Manila. He had in tow five friends who cheered with him as the Beermen nipped any attempt by the Air21 Express to get into the game.

Baldona is a Danny Seigle fan, calling him “idol” often during the game. He joined the predominantly San Miguel crowd in yelling at Arwind Santos when the former Far Eastern University star got entangled with Seigle late in the second quarter.

It was a night for Baldona and other San Miguel faithful. The Beermen controlled the battle from the sixth minute of the second quarter and then thwarted any attempt by the Express to come back.

The closest the Express came was at 55-53 in the third canto. And then Mick Pennisi, Dondon Hontiveros, Lordy Tugade and Seigle dropped bombs to lead the Express by 11 at the end of the third.

There are players who excite the audience the minute they have the ball, and Hontiveros and Bonbon Custodio fill that bill. Hontiveros is a marvel to watch as he unleashes jumpers at the height of his leap or slashes to the basket while Custodio has youthful legs that allow him to dart in and out of defenses.

Despite Gary David’s 31-point explosion, San Miguel sailed to a 105-86 win and a date with Barangay Ginebra for a best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Cantada was correct that the fans are the reason for the existence of the PBA. They are there in the stands like Joel Baldona, shouting for their idols and their teams.