Meet the PBA's 'Pambansang Photobomber'

The first time it happened was early in the elimination round of the Governors' Cup, when the Meralco Bolts beat the Star Hotshots, 83-81, and Andre Emmett was named as the Player of the Game after dropping 37 points.

The venue was Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City, where the stands are intimately close to the court and fans have a real shot of being just an arm's length away from their basketball heroes. So when Emmett sat in the first row of seats for his post-game interview, the audience behind him stayed and took advantage of their position to get their faces on television.

Many of them were smiling and waving to the camera, but one character in particular stood out because of his bright orange shirt, white cap, and the mole on the right side of his face.

His name is Marvin Igcol, 26, but PBA fans now recognize him as the "Pambansang Photobomber" who has since been in the frame of almost every Player of the Game interview.

A sewage treatment plant operator, Igcol has a simple reason why he fell into the habit of video-bombing every post-game interview: a taste of 30 seconds of fame.

"Para makita lang ako sa TV," he said.

Igcol started watching games live in 2011, but it was only this tournament that he was able to attend regularly and seize the opportunity to get himself captured on camera.

Among those he has photobombed have been June Mar Fajardo, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, JVee Casio, Wendell McKines, Rome dela Rosa, Nonoy Baclao, and James Yap. Fans started noticing his cameos in the playoffs, spawning several memes of his constant presence every match.

"Dami nang nag-add sa akin. Nagulat nga ako ngayon. 'Pag mag-Facebook ako ng umaga, ang nag-add sa akin 200. In-accept ko lahat 'yun," Igcol said.

He confessed that he is a fan of the Alaska Aces, but shared that he used to get his tickets from a friend who works as a driver for Meralco.

"Pag nasobrahan ng ticket bibigyan ako," he said. Now, though, he spends his own money to buy tickets for the games, a hobby he can still afford as a single guy.

Igcol said he was happy to have become a celebrity of sorts online, but Wednesday night's Game Three would unfortunately be his last appearance this season.

"Uwi na ako bukas sa Bohol. Babalik din ako pero di na ako makaabot dito sa championship," he said. "Bakasyon lang."

He might be missing Game Four between San Miguel Beer and Alaska on Friday, but the "Pambansang Photobomber" legacy will surely live on in the memes that have amused fans online. - JST, GMA News