A win that took five decades to materialize.
On Sunday, June 16, the season 48 Philippine Cup tournament of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) ended with the historic success of the Meralco Bolts team.
They finished the finals series on top of San Miguel Beermen, who they defeated in a close 80-78 score by the end of the fourth quarter.
Named the most valuable player (MVP) of the finals series is Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome, the man behind the winning two-point shot just 1.3 second before the regulation ended.
Meralco’s win in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup marks their first victory in the league since joining in 2010, replacing the Sta. Lucia Realtors.
But the drought dates back way further, as the last time a Meralco basketball team had won in a tournamemt was during the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) in 1971, when they were known as as the ‘Ready Kilowatt’ team.
In terms of the PBA, the Meralco Bolts is now the second team of billionaire mogul Manny Pangilinan to ever bag a title, next to corporate sister team TNT Tropang Giga.