The 10 Most Imaginative LSFC Nicknames Ever
The habit of giving players nicknames was something I brought over to Lipa from my NCAA-playing days at DLSU - Manila. The funny thing is that, sometimes, after all these years, when I have forgotten somebody's name, I most definitely would not have forgotten his LSFC nick. So what makes an imaginative nick? It certainly does not have to be unusual, and it is seldom flattering. Guess the best criteria for selection would be how well if suited the person and how easily people adopted it. ( :>) RT).
1. Ignatius Tee Jr. (1984): "Penga"	I did not even give the name "Penga," which, I understand from the lads of 1984, was actually the name of one of Penga's Chinese neighbors. No matter how dignified "Ignatius" may seem, it definitely carries no ooomppphh factor, compared to Penga, which teammates, classmates and batchmates still use to this day.
2. Emmanuel Catalan (1991): "Taxi"	In the beginning, teammates referred to the dimunitive Emmanuel as "Takalan," which I felt was so pedestrian. I then cooked up the nickname "Taksi," a shortened version, which Emmanuel himself changed to the more acceptable "Taxi." The best anecdote about the nick was a batchmate shrieking "Taxi" at the sight of Emmanuel along the corridors of UP. Now what would a taxi be doing along the corridors?
3. Hilson Cantos (1994): "PB"	The meaning of the initials is most certainly unprintable, and not at all flattering. Given because of Hilson's capability to natter on and on and on without periods or commas or any punctuations in either the English or Tagalog language. In the STRAA in Lucena City in 1994, Hilson himself printed the initials PB at the bottom of a bottle of alcohol to signify ownership. Not of the alcohol. Of the name.
4. Carlo Magno Olmos (1988): "Casmot"	A nick given by former Batangas City Mayor Dondon Dimacuha, himself a former LSFC player. I don't believe Dondon ever really explained the choice of the nick to satisfaction, something which was, when I you come to think about it, so typical of Dondon. There used to be a comic actor named Casmot, but I don't believe he had anything to do with Dondon's calling Carlo by that nick. More like, in Dondon's deranged adolescent mind, Casmot seemed appropriate for no apparent reason at all.
5. Emerson Dagpa (1989): "Tuge"	The other half of the Casmot and Tuge tandem, both given by Dondon Dimacuha, and both having no real plausible explanation. Tuge, according to Dondon, just "sort of" went with Casmot, whatever logic you can deduce from that.
6. Sharlone Africa (1994): "Likey"	A nick which epitomized irony of the highest order. Sharlone's eyebrows were so thin one would immediately nominate him to be the recipient of a gift certificate from one of the cosmetic companies for a year's supply of eyebrow pencils.
7. Bryant Valdez (1993): "Timba"	I know it must sound so utterly perverse, but Bryant, whose name brings to recall the gallantry of Medieval England, was nicknamed as such because of his surname, which, when pronounced the Tagalog way, i.e. Baldes, is the plural of the Tagalog for "pail." Only Runilo, God bless his kind soul, would call Bryant "Bryant", but when the name drew a blank stare, he would, nevertheless, be quick to supply the nick which would hastily bring a flash of recognition.
8. Jonas Tolentino (1996): "Tibi"	Jonas played only a year or so for LSFC, and to be honest I had forgotten all about him... until one day, Reyan Quinto mentioned something about him, forgetting his name but saying that all he remembered was that he used to be called "Tibi." That brought almost instant recall, and I then remembered having given him the nick because of the way he ran, which was as though he suffered from a severe case of constipation.
9. Deney Reyes (1999): "Pato"	Deney became Pato from High School to College, and many never even bothered to find out why he was called as such in the first place. As a tiny high school sophomore, his low pitched voice, almost hoarse, seemed so unfit for the tiny frame and sounded so much like the raspy voice the dubber used to give personality to the cartoon character Donald Duck.
10. Richard Brillantes (2000): "Hanger"	It took me a couple of moments to remember that his real name is Richard Brillantes, so familiar have I become, instead, with the nick "Hanger," which is what everybody calls him. Don't know of any living being, in fact, who calls him "Richard." Thin to the point of emaciation, "Hanger" was most appropriate because clothes seemed to simply hang on him.