Missing Papa Mart

When former UP Vice Chancellor and Vice President for Administration Martin Gregorio passed away Tuesday last week, the PBA lost a fiercely loyal fan. Papa Mart loved the PBA which he followed with a passion from its inaugural season in 1975. It was like a dream come true for Papa Mart that as time went by, his three sons became involved in Asia’s first play-for-pay league.

Patrick or Pato was once the PBA chairman and represents Talk ‘N’ Text in the PBA Board of Governors. Allan is assistant team manager with the NLEX Road Warriors and Ryan was a champion coach with Purefoods, had a stint on the Meralco bench and is now a Meralco executive and shares his expertise as a TV analyst for PBA games. Allan also works college games as a TV analyst and is an assistant coach with the UP senior men’s varsity.

In the PBA’s early years, Papa Mart would bring his wife Mama Lucille and their three boys to the Araneta Coliseum. “My dad would make us choose where to sit – upper box without merienda or general admission with merienda,” recalled Pato. “Of course, we chose general admission because we wanted merienda. Allan and I would run around playing while Ryan was the ‘saling-cat’ because he was the youngest among us. My dad was a diehard Yco-Tanduay fan back from the days of Caloy Loyzaga, Freddie Webb, Mike Bilbao and Rene Canent. Allan would cheer for Crispa and I would cheer for the Big J and Toyota. Then, when we all began working with the MVP Group, my dad switched to cheering for TNT, Meralco and NLEX.”

Three years ago, Papa Mart was diagnosed with prostate cancer. At first, the cancer was addressed and he was in remission. But eventually, the cancer spread to his lungs, brain and liver. A week before he passed away, Papa Mart left the hospital to spend his last days at home. Papa Mart wanted to go where his heart was – at home in the company of his family. Papa Mart is survived by his wife, four children and 10 grandchildren. His daughter Tin-Tin passed away in 2011 at 34. Another daughter Cecile flew in from San Francisco to attend the wake at the Sta. Maria della Strada Church on Katipunan road from Wednesday until last Saturday. Cecile is married to deputy consul Jaimon Ascalon who is based at the Philippine consulate in San Francisco.

As a long-time fixture in PBA games, Papa Mart enjoyed the live action and being with fans who were as diehard as him. “The last time he watched a live game was when TNT won the Commissioner’s Cup last season,” said Pato. Papa Mart walked away on a winning note.

The fifth of nine children, Papa Mart went to Don Bosco high school in Victorias then attended UP Visayas before moving to Diliman. While a student, Papa Mart applied as a clerk at UP but was turned down because he couldn’t type. Instead, Papa Mart became a teaching assistant. He finished his AB studies major in Spanish then earned a Master’s degree at a university in Spain. In 1966, Papa Mart married Mama Lucille and they would’ve celebrated their 50th anniversary this year.

“My dad loved basketball,” said Pato. “Growing up, we all used to play halfcourt in our backyard.” Just as much as Papa Mart loved the game, he was loved by the UP community. “He was a professor, Vice Chancellor, Vice President for Administration and Dean of Student Affairs,” said Pato. “My dad served under several UP Presidents, including S. P. Lopez and Sen. Edgardo Angara. My dad never belonged to a frat and as Dean of Student Affairs, he kept the frats on campus in line like a ‘bastonero.’ When he retired from UP eight years ago, my dad was assigned as the resident manager of the UP Hotel where he worked until he passed away. His entire professional life revolved around UP.”

The Gregorios lived 42 years in a home provided by UP on campus. Today, the home is where 52 women varsity athletes stay, an appropriate evolution as it was always Papa Mart’s mantra to selflessly give to others. Through the years, Papa Mart would provide scholarships for the less fortunate at UP Visayas in Iloilo. In a dying wish, he asked for his friends and relatives to support the Professor Martin V. Gregorio UP Visayas Foundation for the benefit of poor and deserving high school students in Panay. Donations may be deposited to the BPI Savings Account No. 3089059754 in the name of Lucille C. Gregorio and/or Maria Cecilia Gregorio Ascalon.

“Martin was the center of our family,” said Mama Lucille. “He touched the lives of so many.” Pato said, “We lost a great father, a great teacher and an avid basketball fan.” In a message to Pato, former Alaska team manager Joaqui Trillo said, “He was a great and well-loved person, I was so proud to see your entire family with him one lovely day having lunch at Antonio’s when I happened to drop by … a measure of his greatness, the entire family enjoying with him. Truly, he was loved.”

Papa Mart was my constant textmate. He would often react to my stories and columns in The Star and my sports analysis on TV. Sometimes, he would text in Spanish and I would struggle to reply, also in Spanish. When the story of boxer Rey Loreto not being paid his purse came out, Papa Mart wrote: “Mala suerte este Loreto, no ha recibido nada aun de ese cabron promotor, me acuerdo tambien, con tanto dolor, el caso semejante de Luisito Espinosa que hasta ahora no ha podido cobrar su pago entero.” In another text, he wrote: “Di ko sabihin kung sino kampihan ko – Ryan is with Meralco, Allan with NLEX and Pato with TNT.”