Photo by Tristan Rafael Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
FOR the first time in 15 years, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is not in public office.
And despite the sharpness his Elasto Painters displayed in Game 3—two days after Guiao lost the Congressional race in the First District of Pampanga—the fiery coach said he didn’t need to motivate his players with it.
“They (the players) are not involved in that aspect,” Guiao said. “It (loss) is not part of my consciousness now that I am here. It’s not a factor (in this win).”
Yeng, the son of the late Pampanga Governor Bren, started out as a board member, served three terms as vice governor before becoming a congressman. He lost to Carmelo Lazatin in his bid for a second term.
The 57-year-old Guiao has managed to juggle time with his duties in politics and coaching and be quite successful at it, winning a total of six championships with teams like Swift, Pop Cola, Red Bull and Rain or Shine.
His last act as a congressman was his filing of a petition with the Supreme Court that would require the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to remit 2.5 percent of its gross earnings to the Philippine Sports Commission.
“Maybe that’s good for my mental health,” he said. “You can’t find more stressful jobs than being a coach and a politician. My family told me they have been waiting for this for a long time.”
Guiao has suffered painful losses on the basketball floor in his career as a coach and has come back from them to win. A comeback on the political scene is not totally out of the realm, though.
“I’m not shutting the door. I cannot say yes or no. We still need to study things,” Guiao said. “You can never say what will happen in the next three years.”