Red badge of honor

You never saw coach Edmundo (Ato) Badolato wearing shirts or jackets not colored red. I could just imagine his closet swimming in a sea of red. He was Mr. San Beda, a Sports Hall of Famer of the school that was his life. Throughout his basketball coaching career, he wore the red badge of honor like a shield to declare his intolerance to shenanigans. The blood that flowed in his veins was San Beda red and he was rightfully proud of it.

Ato passed away at 74 due to cardiac arrest last Sunday. His loss left a vacuum in local basketball circles with the players and coaches he mentored expressing their sadness in volumes of social media messages. I recall that last March, Ato reached out and said “I’m physically OK but financially bad…am on contractual na lang and my other sources got hit by the pandemic like camps and tournaments.” Friends, family and those, whose lives he touched, took care of Ato. He had a funny way of sending texts. When I confirmed his bank details, Ato messaged, “Dats korek.” And when I asked how he was last month, Ato said he was confined at UERM and doctors advised to perform an angiogram to determine his heart condition because of his difficulty of breathing. The angiogram was set for a later date as Ato went back home to recuperate. Then, last Dec. 10, Ato sent a message: “Tumigil puso kanina, ni-revive lang ako.” He was at PGH and said his heart stopped while undergoing a procedure. I asked if it was during an angiogram or if doctors had done an angioplasty or some kind of heart surgery. Ato never replied. I eventually found out that doctors recommended a bypass but he had to be stronger so that the schedule was for next March.

Ato started coaching the San Beda midgets in 1967 then moved to the NCAA juniors in 1972. He led the Red Cubs to 16 titles. Ato achieved legendary status in rearing standouts like Benjie Paras, LA Tenorio, Ronnie Magsanoc, Chito and Joey Loyzaga, Dindo Pumaren, RenRen Ritualo, Magnum Membrere, Chris Calaguio, Jvee Casio, Boybits Victoria, Macky de Joya, Ronald Magtulis, Chuck Barreiro, Gerry Esplana, Jenkins Mesina, Eric Altamirano, Ralph Rivera, Richie Melencio, Ogie Menor and many, many more. He was appointed San Beda sports director in 2004 and retired from active coaching in 2009. Ato piloted the national team to the first SEABA juniors title in 1996 with assistant Louie Alas and a roster that included Ritualo, Aries Dimaunahan, Paolo Mendoza, Mesina and Marvin Ortiguerra. He had a brief stint with the San Beda seniors.

Because he was known as a man of principles, Ato was much sought after by leagues to be their commissioner, from the NCAA to UAAP to the Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championships to the NBTC as tournament director to the FilOil Flying V as consultant. I’ll never forget Ato inviting me to join the Board of Jurors to decide the honorees for the third batch of San Beda Sports Hall of Famers in 2004 and his hospitality in welcoming me to the San Beda campus for the Eucharistic celebration and book launch to honor Caloy Loyzaga in 2013. Then, in 2019, I was back at the San Beda campus to interview Tony Genato and Teresa Loyzaga for the Greatest Filipino Athletes of All Time book. Ato opened the San Beda museum and gym for our book crew then treated us to lunch at the school canteen. As we walked from the gym to the canteen, everyone whom we passed along the way – from students to faculty to administration staff to priests – nodded their head and said hello to the Red Legend. He was more than well-respected. Ato was loved.

In March 2019, Ato asked if I could write about his 14th annual camp in both Mendiola and Taytay campuses with seven San Beda junior coaches under his supervision as teachers. I remember Ato said he’d take in beginners, boys and girls, as young as five years old and there was no age limit for those in the advanced class. The column where I wrote about Ato’s project was entitled “Color It Red.”

This year, Philippine sports has bid farewell to several heroes, including Ato. Among the others were Olympic swimmer Haydee Coloso-Espino at 83, Olympic boxing bronze medalist Leopoldo Serrantes at 59, 2016 Paralympic table tennis bronze medalist Josephine Medina at 51, former Asian Basketball Confederation secretary-general Moying Martelino at 86, former POC president Cito Dayrit at 69, 1976 Chess Olympian Cesar Caturla at 71, SEA Games baseball gold medalist Jerome Yenson at 24, former national football team goalkeeper Vic Sison at 84 and former UAAP juniors football MVP Kieth Absalon at 21. They will never be forgotten for their impact on Philippine sports.