Gentleman on the court: Legendary cager Bernardo leaves rich legacy

MANILA, Philippines - Noel Bernardo may have been too young to witness his father's greatness. But Narciso Bernardo left his son, his family and his followers enough memories both on and off the hard court to remember him for years to come. "He embodied the ideals of a basketball player, of an athlete," Bernardo described his father. "One of his teammates used to say to me that they called my dad, 'the gentleman on the court'. He was one of the best players during his time but he also played with dignity. When he was on the court, he gave it his best." Bernardo was only 10 years old when his father retired from basketball in 1973, so he admitted he wasn't old enough to grasp his dad's athletic accomplishments. By the time the elder Bernardo hung his sneakers, he had filled his resume with a scroll-like list of international participation. He was a two-time Olympian (1960 and 1972), and a member of the National teams that played in the Fiba-Asia championship (then known as the Asian Basketball Confederation) and the Asian Games. But Bernardo did recall a few instances that gave him a hint of his father's celebrity status as a player. "There was a time when we went to this restaurant, this was in the 1960s. We couldn't find a table because the place was full. Somebody recognized my dad and he was like, 'You're Narciso Bernardo, right?' And my father nodded and the man just offered us his table. My father refused, of course, but I was thinking to myself, 'My dad must be somebody.'" Most of Bernardo's basketball image of his dad was formed through second-hand information. The elder Bernardo was known primarily as an offensive player who was one of the most prolific free-throw shooters of his time. "There was only one job he was told to do when he was on the court: to score," the son said. "When he was shooting free throws it wasn't whether he missed or made them, his contemporaries told me; it was whether it went through all net or not." Bernardo has also heard the story about how his father was one of the early highly paid Filipino athletes. "They used to tell me that if my father played today, he'd probably be one of the richest," Bernardo said. "The players during that time would say that my dad was the first player to earn more than P1,000 in basketball." Ciso, short for Narciso, was still visible in the basketball scene even after he retired. He coached a handful of professional teams, his last with the legendary Crispa Redmanizers dynasty which he guided to their last championship (the 1984 All-Filipino tournament) in the Philippine Basketball Association before the franchise folded up. He served key administrative positions in the PBA and the then-fledgling Philippine Amateur Basketball League in the 1980's. He also served once as commissioner of the basketball tournament of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. Honoring his exploits, the PBA named Bernardo in the all-decade team, representing the 1960's. He was also inducted into the Philippine Basketball Hall of Fame. In early 2002 while jogging, he suffered a heart attack and had been bed-ridden since. He died Tuesday at age 71. Nobody among the next generation Bernardos has come close to matching the late patriarch's achievements on the court. And the elder Bernardo didn't impose on the younger generation. "To my dad, it was just whatever you wanted to do with your life, it was your decision," the younger Bernardo said. "He gave us that freedom." Bernardo, currently a District Two councilor in Mandaluyong City, did follow in his father's footsteps in a different arena - in public service. The elder Bernardo was Mandaluyong councilor from 1988-2002. "It's about teaching kids out there the value of being good citizens in sports and various activities. That's what we've been trying to accomplish being in our position as public servant." When asked how he felt being in the shadow of a legendary father, Bernardo said he didn't mind. "There was a time when Fidel Ramos was still the President and he passed by our area and he saw my dad. The President ordered the entourage to stop and he asked one of his security to go up to my dad and call him to his side. The President was just excited and he told the people around him, 'This is Narciso Bernardo. I'm a fan of his'. Same thing happened when President Joseph Estrada saw him. He came up to my dad and he told everyone there. 'This man is my idol.' "I had a father who was adored by people. What more could one ask?" - GMANews.TV