The Final Score: The size and spirit of big Beau Belga

A crucial quarterfinal game. A mammoth PBA crowd. A loud chant. The stakes were high. The air was tense. In this scenario, a man on the free-throw line, chided for the expansive waistline that made him effective, was under scrutiny. Beau Belga doesn't own washboard abs. His muscles aren't defined. He is, by PBA standards, actually by any standard, on the chubby side. And the crowd inside the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo reminded him of his distinct physical attributes over and over. "Ba-boy, ba-boy, ba-boy," the crowd sang.   "Mas nag-e-enjoy ako pag mas-involved yung crowd," Belga, regarded as one of the league's hefty enforcers, admitted. "Natutuwa ako sa ganun." Belga sank the first free-throw. Easily. The chants grew louder. Some thought that if they could break Belga, they could break Rain or Shine. Somehow. Some way. In the heat of a one-sided game, in the middle of Rain or Shine's torrid high-altitude shooting, in the wake of Ginebra's struggles all through the night, fans were willing to try anything. Believe it or not, Beau, who looks like he can gobble up Rico Maierhofer for merienda, used to weigh much less. As an average-sized rookie for Philippine Christian University in the NCAA, he was pushed around by bigger foes. So he decided to bulk up. To gain respect on the floor, to gain confidence against wider post-players, he felt he needed to gain weight. But he said, "Nasobrahan naman sa pag-gain." Currently at 245 lbs, with a roundish face, and full arms, Belga, on the court, is impossible to miss. He can eat his favorite adobo, carefully prepared by his wife Queenie, with as many as six cups of rice. For breakfast. Or lunch. Or whenever. This inspired assistant coach Rhoel Nadurata to call him Adobo Boy. So instead of sprinting, Beau bounces. Instead of boxing-out, he clears space. These are his attributes. These are likewise his strengths. "Hindi ko na hinahabol magka-abs," Belga proudly said. "Kung ano ako i-me-maintain ko na lang yun." Belga prepared for the second free-throw. They chanted. He listened. To every syllable. And it was music to his ears. Many doubted Rain or Shine the way they doubted Beau Belga. Rain or Shine wasn't ready for primetime. Belga wasn't ready for playoff pressure. "Sa isip ko, talagang gagantihan ko sila," Belga amusingly recalled. "Hindi kami basta-basta ginaganun lang. Pag ako inaway niyo, syempre gaganti ako." Belga, bathing in the scrutiny of a partisan crowd, sank the second free-throw. Then, he looked to his right, turned to where the chants originated, placed his index finger over his lips and asked his adoring fans to keep quiet. I thought the chants crushed Belga's ego or destroyed his team's new-found confidence. But in the din of a happy yet hostile environment, the rotund man and his underdog team were surprisingly as happy as they could be. — GMA News