HAVING been frustrated so many times in the past, Arwind Santos of Petron Blaze, one of three candidates for this season’s MVP plum, had braced himself for another big disappointment.
He was leading in statistical points by a huge margin over the two other candidates, but that was no assurance he had a clear advantage. Six times he had been an MVP contender toting very impressive numbers, but in most instances he ended up a bridesmaid.
Because of the lessons of the past, Arwind reminded himself not to raise his hopes high this time.
“Actually, I was a bit puzzled that I was getting no encouragement from people around me. There was absolutely no feedback on how I was doing in the MVP derby vis-à-vis my two other opponents LA Tenorio (Ginebra) and Jason Castro (Talk ‘N Text). Up to the very last minute, I had no idea what would happen,” Arwind told the Inquirer the morning after he was declared 2012-13 PBA Most Valuable Player.
If he were just a wee bit luckier, this could have been Arwind’s second or even third MVP trophy.
While the most coveted MVP award more than made Arwind’s day last Friday, his happiness was not complete, he said, because they lost Game 4 of the current Governors’ Cup title series to San Mig Coffee.
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In his short acceptance speech during the awards rites, Arwind traced his humble beginnings in Angeles, Pampanga, to the present.
He said he has gone a long way, never dreaming he would get this far.
“I come from a poor family and I had to struggle and work very, very hard in my youth to help my family survive.”
He said he was relating his story to serve as an inspiration to the youth.
“I started toiling when I was in Grade 3. I was not the only one working; my two brothers and sister also did. I fetched water (nag-iigib) for the neighbors, I drove a pedicab, I worked in a car wash, nagbakal-bote ako. You name any menial task, I’ve done it just to earn a decent peso. ”
Even during his youth, Arwind said rains and floods were already in vogue. Enterprising, he and his brothers would make rafts to ferry the stranded through floodwaters.
“Our rafts were made of banana tree trunks and we devised these ourselves. We would tie about 7 to 8 pieces of these trunks together. We had a very sturdy and durable raft that could carry several passengers.
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Although poor, Arwind said theirs was a happy family. “My parents were very athletic. My mother was a volleybelle while my father, Ernesto Santos, was also a cager. He played for the Yco Painters and one of his teammates was cager-actor Romy Diaz.
Arwind’s father died in 2002 and he had to assume the major role of family breadwinner.
Arwind’s basketball prowess was discovered by current Pampanga vice governor Dennis Pineda over 10 years ago.
From here his fortune took a turn for the better. Basketball changed his life.
He is thankful for all his blessings, especially the one that came before the MVP trophy. Arwind and wife Yvette were blessed—finally—with a son, after six daughters.